Russia’s intervention in the Ukraine, Donald Trump’s presidency and instability in the Middle East are just a few of the factors that have brought an end to the immediate post-Cold War belief that a new international order was emerging: one where fear and uncertainty gave way to a thick normative and institutional architecture that diminished the importance of material power. This has raised questions about the instruments we use to understand order in Europe and in international relations. The chapters in this book aim to assess whether foreign policy actors in Europe understand the international system and behave as realists. They ask what drives their behaviour, how they construct material capabilities and to what extent they see material power as the means to ensure survival. They contribute to a critical assessment of realism as a way to understand both Europe’s current predicament and the contemporary international system.

This book examines some of the most pressing issues affecting contemporary societies in Europe in the 2020s, namely uncertainty, unrest and the fragility of individuals and groups. Monika Banaś, Vesa Puuronen and their contributors analyse a selection of challenges affecting the present and near future of Europe and European societies. They reflect on processes and events that have a pivotal impact on individual and collective life, for example, how the Russian invasion of Ukraine has affected reformulation or revision of such concepts as security, uncertainty, independence, freedom, democracy and democratic values as well as nation and nationalism. The volume discusses phenomena such as the migration and integration of refugees, media narratives on the Russian–Ukrainian war, political campaign rhetoric concerning the war, institutional engagement in fostering civil and inclusive societies, strategies of young people to cope with uncertainty in times of socio-economic challenges. The book offers a valuable reference for scholars and students of European societies studying a broad scope of courses in sociology, political culture, intercultural communication, intercultural and international relations, along with political science. It will also be of interest to experts and practitioners of the NGO sector active in supporting vulnerable individuals, communities and societies.

This timely book considers the topical issue of the enlargement processes of the European Union and NATO. The contributors examine issues including: the dual enlargement process and German and Russian relationships with it; NATO and the pan-European security agenda; East European reactions to enlargement; and concepts of security in the new Europe. This book provides a cohesive overview of the pan-European security debate and is an essential resource for students and academics interested in the development of the European Union.

The European Union (EU) faces many crises and risks to its security and existence. While few of them threaten the lives of EU citizens, they all create a sense of anxiety and insecurity about the future for many ordinary Europeans. This comprehensive volume explores the concept of ‘ontological security’ which was introduced into international relations over a decade ago to better understand the ‘security of being’ found in feelings of fear, anxiety, crisis, and threat to wellbeing. The authors make use of this concept to explore how narratives of European integration have been part of public discourses in the post-war period and how reconciliation dynamics, national biographical narratives and memory politics have been enacted to create ontological security. Within this context, they also discuss the anxiety of the ‘remainers’ in the Brexit referendum and the consequences of its failure to address the ontological anxieties and insecurities of remain voters. The book also explores: how European security firms market ontological security and provide an ontological security-inspired reading of the EU’s relations with post-communist states; the EU and NATO’s engagement with hybrid threats; and the EU as an anxious community. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal European Security.

Desperate and vulnerable people, who take enormous risks to migrate to Europe in rickety boats or concealed in the containers of articulated lorries, are familiar images portrayed in the media of “irregular migrants”. Irregular migration has become a major political concern both at the European level and in the wider international context. In the European Union, politicians have identified irregular migration as a “problem” and have given priority to preventing this phenomenon in the development of the common asylum and immigration policy. This collection of essays is the outcome of an international conference on Irregular Migration and Human Rights, which gathered together prominent scholars, policy-makers and practitioners working in the migration and human rights field. The objective of the book, in contrast to the prevailing political approach which focuses almost solely on prevention, is to discuss the human rights dimensions of irregular migration from theoretical, European and international perspectives. The book is divided into five substantive parts: the complex question of who is an irregular migrant and the difficulties in assessing the size of irregular movements: official and popular perceptions of irregular migrants, a debate which is frequently considered in terms of security concerns, asylum, and human trafficking and smuggling; the myriad strands of the developing EU law and policy on irregular migration, such as the adoption of readmission agreements, and the relationship of this law and policy to external border controls in the context of EU enlargement and other non-legal means of EU decision-making; the contributions of international and non-governmental actors to charting a rights-based approach to irregular migration; and the problems these vulnerable persons face while resident in host countries, such as discrimination and denial of access to social rights and public services, which is inextricably bound up with their irregular status.

In May 2004, the fifth enlargement of the European Union saw the accession of eight Central and Eastern European states (the 'A8' countries of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia), with Cyprus and Malta joining at the same time. This was the largest expansion in the EU's history, adding ten member states and 75 million people. In January 2007, the accession of Bulgaria and Romania (the 'A2' countries) added a further 30 million people. The Committee's report examines the impact on UK business of the accession of the 'A8' and 'A2' countries, following on from two previous inquiries ("Industrial and Trade Relations with Central Europe", HCP 893, session 1997-98, (ISBN 9780105550785); and "Industrial and Trade Relations with the Baltic States", HCP 835, session 1999-2000 (ISBN 9780102524000)). The Committee's report concludes that the EU accession of these countries has been beneficial to the UK economy and business, chiefly through the plugging of gaps in the UK labour market as well as through increased opportunities for exports and investment. However, these benefits could be greater if businesses were better informed about the resulting opportunities, and the Government should consider what it can do to reduce the 'fear factor' of investing outside UK businesses' comfort zones, particularly in the new member states which are accessible to small and medium-sized companies. The Committee also highlights the importance of improving the skills base of the domestic workforce if UK business wishes to remain globally competitive.

In 2012, the ERASMUS programme celebrated its 25th anniversary. As one of the best-known initiatives of the EU, it has already enabled almost three million students to spend a part of their studies abroad. But ERASMUS is more than just a simple academic exchange programme: designed to contribute to the creation of a «People’s Europe», it has become a successful political instrument for shaping generations of European students. This interdisciplinary volume attempts to explain the fascination behind ERASMUS. The authors examine the role of student mobility within the European integration process and judge its impact on how young citizens identify with Europe. Is there a «Generation ERASMUS», and what characteristics does it have? Can ERASMUS serve as a symbol for «new» Europeans?