IRE218 EU foreign policy toward Russia and Eastern partnership countries

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2019
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Petra Kuchyňková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Petra Kuchyňková, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Wed 16:00–17:40 U43
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to make students acquainted with the development of the engagement of the European Union as an actor in EU neighborhood. The emphasis is put on the Eastern dimension of EU neighborhood policy and on the relations between the EU and The Russian Federation. Students will be taught about theoretical concepts concerning the activities of the European Union as an actor of International Relations in its neighborhood: EU as a normative power, EU as civilian power, europeanisation in relations to EU neighboring countries etc. The phenomenon of EU development policy, its importance and functioning will also be dealt with. Significant part of the course is devoted to the development, formation and functioning of European Neighborhood Policy with the emphasis on the programme of Eastern Partnership. After the end of the course students will be able to understand and explain the role of the European Union in the Eastern dimension of its neighborhood, the problems of particular partner countries, which participate at Eastern Partnership (Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) and they will be also acquianted with various dimensions of the EU relations towards Russia, as an important actor in the particular geopolitical area. Attention will be devoted to such problems as democratisation, cooperation with the EU in political and economic areas, including energy and possibilities of the ENP to contribute to the solution of these problems, "frozen conflicts" in post-Soviet area etc.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to understand the most important current problems that the EU as international actor faces in the EU Eastern neighbourhood. They will be able to discuss these problems not only in the context of internal peculiarities of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy in the post-Lisbon era (e.g. institutional peculiarities), but also in the context of the geopolitics of Eastern Europe. The students will be able to analyse and debate the role of the EU and also Russia as actors in contemporary Eastern Europe and South Caucasus; analyze various aspects and areas of the EU activites in relation to Russia and in the framework of the Eastern Partnership programme; discuss particular relevant connected to the problematic with external experts; work in groups; work with data in order to write the group project; present the group project.
Syllabus
  • 1) Course introduction - structure and requirements; EU as an actor of international relations in the neighbourhood: EU as normative power, civilian power Europe, prospects and pitfalls of the EU neighbourhood policy. 2) Establishment and further development of the European Neighbourhood Policy - Southern dimension: Barcelona Process and the Eastern Partnership + seminar discussion 3) EU policy towards Russia: Between a normative actor and realist policy. EU-Russia relations: Current most pressing problems + seminar discussion. 4) EU policy towards Ukraine: Ukraine in relation to the ENP and EaP; crisis response in the Eastern Partnership area + seminar discussion. 5) Moldova: The success of the Eastern Partnership, or rather a problem? + seminar discussion 6) Belarus and the EU: EU as an actor of democracy promotion? + seminar discussion 7) ENP and South Caucasus countries (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) 8) ENP and South Caucasus countries (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) + seminar discussion 9) External expert 10) EU and its policy towards Eastern Europe: Most pressing problems and the future + Presentation of group projects 12) Presentation of group projects 13) Final written exam
Literature
  • Nodia, G. (2017): Democracy and its Deficits: The path towards becoming European-style democracies in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. CEPS Working Document, No 2017/12, December 2017.
  • Vieira, A. & Vasilyan, S. (2018) Armenia and Belarus: caught between the EU's and Russia's conditionalities?, European Politics and Society, 19:4, pp. 471-489
  • Nitoiu, C. (2017): "Still entrenched in the conflict/cooperation dichotomy? EU–Russia relations and the Ukraine crisis." European Politics and Society, 18:2, pp. 148-165.
  • Kuzio, T. (2016): “Ukraine between a Constrained EU and Assertive Russia”. In: Journal of Common Market Studies, 2016, pp. 1-18.
  • Delcour, L. (2018): "Dealing with the elephant in the room: the EU, its ‘Eastern neighbourhood’ and Russia, Contemporary Politics, 24:1, pp. 14-29
  • Lavenex, S. (2017): "On the fringes of the European peace project: The neighbourhood policy’s functionalist hubris and political myopia." The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 2017, Vol. 19(1) 63–76.
  • International relations and the European Union. Edited by Christopher Hill - Michael Smith - Sophie Vanhoonacker. Third edition. Oxford: Oxford university press, 2017, xxiii, 570. ISBN 9780198737322. info
Teaching methods
lectures, class discussions, lectures and presentations by professionals (diplomats) and external experts, homework (position papers), group projects and their presentations (textual analyses, policy papers), reading
Assessment methods
Every student is obliged to prepare and submit 2 short position papers (around 2000 characters), out of 5 proposed topics, and discuss the topics of the papers in the class. Each paper will be evaluated with 5 points (max. 10 points total for the papers and the participation in the discussion), if the student submits more than 2 papers, he/she may obtain bonus points (up to 15 bonus points). Every student is obliged to participate in a group project (max.3 or 4 students in 1 group). The group project will be elaborated and submitted in a form of PPT (with comments) and it will be presented in the class by particular group. Max. 30 points for a group project (max. 15 points for the PPT; max. 15 points for the presentation of the PPT in class). Final written exam will consist of 3 open questions, max. 10 points for each answer (max. 30 points total). Total: 70 points (+ max.15 bonus points), min. 43 points are needed to pass the course
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
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