Dr. Raouf Tajvidi
Ted Okoroji
European Union and International Systems
The European Union as an International Actor and Its Prospects of It Becoming a Superpower
This essay will argue that the European Union is presently not an international actor due to its weakness in its Common Foreign and Security Policy and the lack of representation it has in international organizations. The favourable prospects of the European Union becoming a superpower based on its economic stature, growing military and development its regional body is undergoing towards an improving Common Foreign and Security Policy will be discussed as well.
The needs to prevent war, establish prosperity and recover from the ravages of WWII were the forerunning reasons why the European nations came to form the European Union. As prosperity increased and the European experiment as the European Union was then referenced to as grew to what is now twenty-seven Member States. In addition to the economic advantages occurring from the union, the collective voice of the European countries would establish their position as an actor whose voice would be heard and considered in world affairs. However, this is not the case as the European Union is not regarded as an actor on the international stage due to Member States within the European Union taking different positions towards world affairs than opposed to coming together with other European countries within the EU is one example of the EU’s inability to “act” and its weak Common Foreign and Security Policy.
“There has been dramatic increase in the EU’s external relations “output” but this has not always matched expectation that the EU will act decisively, consistently and influentially in international relations.” (Karen Smith 2003:244). The statement made by Ms. Smith is can be made accurate by the EU’s...