The resilience of resilience – a shift inEuropean Union identity? : EU foreign policy through the prism of the resilience turn

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to exploretheEU's use and understanding of the concept of resilience,as it was presented in the EU Global Strategy of 2016. By comparing the understanding ofresilience found in theGlobal Strategy to the use of the concept found in earlier strategies, the thesis argues that an evolution of the EU's understanding ofthe concept can be detected. The thesis argues that this changed understanding of resilience can be used to identify a shift in the EU's perception of itself as a foreign policy actor. More specifically, by turning to a more pragmatist approach, the EU presents itself asless ambitious and more realistic in its ability to spur change inthe Neighbourhood. Finally, this thesis argue that thisshift in identity does not need to come at the expense of the notion of the EU as a normative power.