Multilevel Networks in European Foreign Policy
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Elke Krahman elaborates a new theory of European foreign policy that seeks to encompass various types of actors as well as levels of analysis that, according to the author, nowadays shape the foreign policy-making process in Europe. The new theory builds on the British policy network approach and rational choice theory and its core is represented by two hypotheses that link the pressure of a number of actors on a single actor with the change in the preferences of the latter (pp. 38–40). First, Krahman states that the higher the pressure the more likely the actor is to change his or her preferences. Importantly, the degree of pressure is determined by the number of actors exerting pressure on a single actor out of all actors who have power over him or her. Second, the author hypothesizes that collective decision-making units can resist higher degrees of pressure than role actors if their members use a veto or if a decision is conditioned by a majority. On the whole, Krahman puts forward a considerably original and solidly developed theory. The underlying aspect of the theory is the author’s understanding of the European foreign policy space. Krahman proceeds from an observation that European foreign policy is being transformed and considers the increasing multiplicity and diversity of actors, together with their interdependence, to be the three most important trends of this transformation. In this vein, she argues that almost all issue-areas within European states are nowadays marked by the existence of multilevel networks. However, the author also identifies a distinct European foreign policy network that involves a set of actors whose primary interests extend beyond the boundaries of individual countries. The other important point of Krahman’s understanding of the European foreign policy space is that it cannot be reduced to the member-states of the European Union (EU) or to the EU as such. Instead, she considers other states, particularly the United States and Canada, or international organizations such as North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe or the United Nations to be part of the process. While developing her conceptualization of European foreign policy, the author also Journal of International Relations and Development, 2004, 7, (341–344) r 2004 Palgrave Macmillan Ltd 1408-6980/04 $30.00
www.palgrave-journals.com/jird
Journal of International Relations and Development Volume 7, Number 3, 2004
342
puts forward a critique of the existing multilevel approaches represented by transnationalism and two-level games on one hand, and multilevel or network theories of European integration on the other (pp. 8–12). She convincingly argues that, whereas none of the former subsumes all the three levels of analysis (international, transnational and domestic), the latter neglect the broader European policy space. The theory as such rests on the four following elements: power, actors, actors’ interests and preferences, and the rationality of behaviour. With regard to po
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