how to research European foreign policy and what pitfalls to avoid: a thought-provoking sharing of many experiences during @Nortia_eu masterclass at @Politics_Oxford with @Bentonra from @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 We asked @Bentonra @Nortia_eu: Q1: What do we need to remind ourselves of if we look at the EU as an actor (in foreign policy but also more generally)
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @Bentonra tip 1: Remember history, remember the longue durée: patterns of these developments crucial to understand what is happening now
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @Bentonra tip 2: Avoid presentism, as it inherits a danger of considering processes as linear although they are/not not be linear
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @Bentonra tip 3: 3.Beware of comparativism: the +EU is not a state, it is not an International Organisation; we have to account for its distinctiveness
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @Bentonra tip 4: Bear in mind that what you look at is the mix of national, European and international levels – and you can not look at one alone in isolation only; they might be there in different degrees but they are still all there
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @Bentonra tip 5: Avoid the Brussels bubble. You also need to be in national captials; do not only talk to civil servants, also talk to political could around them.
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @bentonra tip 6: Never forget the domestic routes of foreign policy
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @bentonra tip 7: In all of this, identity matters – “foreign policy is a matter of who we are” quote by foreign minister
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 We asked @Bentonra @Nortia_eu Q2: Lessons that you wished you would have known earlier
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @Bentonra at begin of research process invest time in literature management system to avoid "headache of citations" (where did I get this quote from??)
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @Bentonra lesson 2: People love to talk, if they think you are serious, responsible, and credible as an interviewer. Thus professionalism matters; if you present yourself in a good way, it is amazing what you get out of it and it can have snowball effect
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @bentonra lesson 3: Write early and often, do not get into the habit of "I am researching, I am reading, I am looking into"; you can do this forever. You have to sit down and write. It is painful, but you have to write.
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @Bentonra lesson 4: simplicity and clarity is even more important in complex matters. Complexity rules in our field, with nuances and lots of variables; but there is nothing better than short anglo-saxon words to force you to be concise and clear
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @Bentonra lesson 5: 5.In terms of theory, you have to accept that you can not please everyone. Reading tip: hollis and smith: explaining and understanding IR
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 We also asked @bentonra Q3: What are the big 3 questions that we should study and research about European foreign policy?
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @Bentonra @Nortia_eu:
1. What is the #EU as an international actor (ontological question)
2. Who is the #EU as an international actor (identity question)
3. What does the #EU do best, and how does it do it?
1. What is the #EU as an international actor (ontological question)
2. Who is the #EU as an international actor (identity question)
3. What does the #EU do best, and how does it do it?
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 plus area 1 where need for more insights: European #Values and European #Imperialism
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @Bentonra area 2 where we needmore insights: #EU in #geopolitics: how does the EU manage to remain relevant
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @bentonra area 3 where we need more research: #Identity in European foreign policy (impact on populism; European public space) and cacophony in strategic culture
@Nortia_eu @Politics_Oxford @Bentonra @ucdpolitics @globus_h2020 @bentonra area 4 where need for more research: Studies of #EU military industrial complex, with current investment of 40 billion EUR. who defines #agenda & follow the #money
