Center: 
European Union
Discipline(s): 
International Relations
Political Science
Course code: 
IR/PO 360
Terms offered: 
Summer
Credits: 
4
Language of instruction: 
English
Instructor: 
TBD
Description: 

The course will have three thematically distinct, yet conceptually related parts. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the course and its overall emphasis on the EU’s external relations with its potential members, it is essential that the first part of the course outlines the principles upon which the EU acts towards and interacts with the new potential members. With this in mind, this part of the course is designed to cover not only the EU institutions involved in designing and guiding the enlargement policies but will assess the merit of policies themselves in view of their overall effectiveness as policy instruments. Second and third parts of the course will therefore focus on the respective regions, ie. the region of Western Balkans (with specific focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Turkey. More specifically, the region-focused part of the course will cover the most important historical, cultural, political, economic and legal issues that are of relevance to the EU integration process underway in both of these regions.

While the first part of the course lays some conceptual grounds essential to understanding the logic of the current EU enlargement strategy and its policies, the second part assesses the relevance of such policies to political and economic development of Western Balkans and Turkey through a thorough study of relevant political, economic and legal issues pertinent to the process of EU integration.

Prerequisites: 

None

Learning outcomes: 
  • Fundamental knowledge about politics, economics and history of Turkey and the Balkans both as a region and as individual nations/areas
  • Understanding of conflicts and developments in the region during the 20th century and especially since the 1990s
  • Awareness of key challenges, different roles of institutions, the complexity and interrelatedness of international involvement in the region
Required work and form of assessment: 

Readings and active participation in seminar discussions (20%), two oral presentations (10%), mid-term exam (20%), trip reflection (20%), final exam (30%).

Seminar discussions are based upon the compulsory readings and teaching introductions to the subject given at each session by the instructor. All students are expected to join the seminar discussions following the teaching introductions with (prepared) questions and points related to the readings and with new ideas related to the conclusions presented. After a first round of discussions, additional reading material / written pro-contra statements might be distributed in class in order to briefly prepare for a second round of discussions. The seminar reader contains all required readings. An active participation of all students is indispensable for the success of this class.

Two Exams will be written with a duration of 90 minutes each. The mid-term exam will cover the topics discussed in the first three weeks; the final exam will cover the seminar’s whole content. In both cases, students will get detailed information one week before the exam for concrete preparation.

Trip reflection (5-7 pages) will relate to a special topic developed in class and during the academic trip to Turkey. The reflection paper must give an answer to an academic question which should be discussed with the instructor in advance.

Book review
This is a special performance that all students are requested to do: At the beginning of the summer school, every student can choose a fiction book (belletristic literature, provided by IES Freiburg) that she/he is asked to review in written form (2 pages).

Grading Scale
The following define the IES use of letter grades:

A – Excellent performance
B – Good performance
C – Adequate performance
D – Unsatisfactory performance and/or comprehension of the subject matter
F – Failure to complete course requirements or wholly inadequate comprehension of the subject matter

content: 

I.  European Integration and South East Europe – Background, Institutions, Concepts

  1. Like Phoenix from the ashes: The history of the European Union

From the break-down after WWII to the Wirtschaftswunder, Early steps of European Integration: Growing size, growing success? From the EC6 to the EU27 – More power through the Lisbon Treaty? – The EU, a global player?

Readings: Jano (2008)

  1. Who has the power? The EU’s central institutions

The History of EU Enlargement Policies: the relevance for the Balkans

Readings: Urwin (2010); Balfour (2009); Cini & Perez-Solorzano Borragan (2010), pp. 418-435

  1. The European Experience of Conflict Management: Ethno-political Conflicts

Identity, Culture, Religion

Readings: Lederach (1997), pp. 3-18; Lederach (1995), pp. 11-24; Stewart (2008)

II.  The Balkans – Background, Institutions, Concepts

  1. History of the Western Balkans: (R)evolutions, politics and policies I

*Description: This part should introduce students to the Western Balkan’s history, follow through with the analysis of the break-up of Yugoslavia and its political consequences as well as the consequences on the paths individual countries have taken towards the EU membership. This part can be further broken down into two distinct categories: history (i.e. chronology of events)
History overview of the region
Great empires and their disintegration from the Romans to World War I / Self-determination of Peoples, World War II, Communism and the Cold War / 1990s onward: Nation building or failing states?

Readings: Roudometof (2001), pp. 1-18, 229-240

  1. History & Culture of the Western Balkans: (R)evolutions, politics and policies II

*Description:
Peoples, religions, cultures
Ethnic mosaic of South East Europe from Austria-Hungary to Anatolia / Religious fault lines and dialogue between Catholicism, Protestantism, Christian Orthodoxy, Judaism, Islam, and Atheism / Cultural Diversity and the challenges of (multi)-national identity/identities

Readings: Hupchick (2002), pp. 1-17; King (2001).

  1. Current developments of the Western Balkans regarding EU-Balkan relations: (R)evolutions, politics and policies III
    *Description:
    current state (providing a glance over EU integration related issues to be studied in greater details during the entire course)

Readings: Renner & Trautner (2009); Bechev (2004); Chandler (2007)

  1. EU - Bosnia and Herzegovina relations I: Political challenges of the EU integration process

Description: This two-block class should start by introducing the political system of current BiH as defined by its current constitution; Detailed attention will be paid to studying the Dayton Agreement both its structure and content with special focus to its present consequences on dynamics of political life in BiH; matters of Constitutional reform will be introduced; analysis of decision-making procedures and their impact on the pace of the EU integration process.

Readings: Bieber (2010); Hays & Crosby (2006); Joseph & Hitchner (2008)

  1. EU - Bosnia and Herzegovina relations II: Application and opening of accession talks
    Description:
    This two-block class should start by introducing the political system of current BiH as defined by its current constitution; Detailed attention will be paid to studying the Dayton Agreement both its structure and content with special focus to its present consequences on dynamics of political life in BiH; matters of Constitutional reform will be introduced; analysis of decision-making procedures and their impact on the pace of the EU integration process.

Readings: Toal et.al. (2006)

  1. Economic and Institutional Implications of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU candidateship: Unified economic space?
    Description:
    This part of the analysis should focus exclusively on understanding the economic climate in BiH and importance of EU integration in this regard. Basic macroeconomic indicators will be used to describe the present situation in the country with special highlight of those areas of BiH economy that might prove to be important to the integration process (for example, industry and agriculture)

Readings: Steil & Woodward (1999); Petrakos & Christodoulakis (1997)

  1. Bosnia and Herzegovina: Transition from “no civil society” to “too much of civil society”?

From the Ground-Up: European Conflict Management in Bosnia-Herzegowina

Description: This part of the course is first of all aimed at assessing the evolution of the civil society in BiH (special emphasis on the quality of civil society) and its impact on the pace of the integration process.

Readings: Carothers & Barndt (1999/2000); Belloni (2001)

  1. Bosnia and Herzegovina: a reflective perspective of the “state of the art” of conflict management

Transitional Justice Approaches/ Dealing with the Past

Description: Should cover topics from transitional justice in its various forms; collective forgiveness; attempts at nation building; structure of the legal system and the problem of its effectiveness and biasness.

Readings: Korski & Gowan (2009)

  1. Contested “Europeanization”? The Region of the Western Balkans: Exclusion/Inclusion
    Description: This part is issue-oriented in terms of assessing the motivation, approach and means used by each Western Balkan country in terms of defining and pursuing the process of EU integration. Several important issues will be highlighted.

Readings: Demetropolou (2002); Neumann (1998)

  1. Midterm

Field Study Trip to Bosnia

  1. Field trip reflection (joint session with other faculty members)

III. Turkey – A bridge or borderline between Europe and the Middle East?

  1. History of Turkey

Description: Ottoman Empire, Ataturk’s vision of a secular country, modern Turkey, Kemalism, political system of Turkey

Readings: Park (2012), chapter 2 and 3

  1. EU-Turkey relations: From Application to the Opening of Accession Talks
    Description:
    Political relations, main steps, arguments in favor/against Turkey’s membership, comparison to Eastern enlargement and EU perspective of Balkan countries

Readings: McLaren (2007), Schimmelfennig (2008)

  1. EU-Turkey Relations: Organization and Progress of Accession Talks
    Description:
    Negotiating framework, role of the European Commission, freezing of negotiation chapters due to Cyprus problem, EU presidency of Cyprus in second half of 2012

Readings: Müftüler-Bac/Güney (2005)

  1. Europeanization of Turkey: The Transformative Power of the EU in Comparative Perspective
    Description:
    External governance of the EU, conditionality, Europeanization mechanism, case study border management

Readings: Önis (2003), Bürgin (2011), Park (2012), chapter 4

IV. Current topics and problems in Turkey

  1. Economic and Institutional Implications of Turkey’s EU Membership

Description: Discussion of the economical and institutional benefits and challenges of Turkey’s EU Membership

Readings: Hughes (2004), section 2, Lejour/de Mooji (2005), Park (2012), chapter 5

  1. Geopolitical Implications of Turkey’s EU Accession

Description: Would Turkey’s membership serve the foreign policy goals of the EU

(and the US)? Would the EU membership serve the foreign policy goals of Turkey?

Readings: Müftüler-Bac/Gürsoy (2010), Verheugen (2012), Taspinar (2011)

  1. Cultural Implications

Description: Isamphobia in the West, anti-Western sentiments in the East, ‘crisis’ of multiculturalism, symbolic value of Turkey’s EU accession, Turkey as a bridge between East and West?

Readings: Delhey (2007), Parker (2009)

  1. Current Issues in Turkish Politics 1 (to be held in Izmir)

Description: Major issues regarding the consolidation of democracy in Turkey such as Secularism vs. Islamicist debate, Kurdish nationalism vs. cultural rights debate, and gender and liberal rights. 

Reading: Grigoriadis (2009)

  1. Current Issues in Turkish Politics 2 (to be held in Izmir)

Description: Changes and continuities in Turkish foreign policy in the last decade. A class discussion will be held concerning the question whether, or not, Turkey is a feasible model of democracy for the Muslim world.

Reading: Öniş (2011)

  1. Field Trip Reflection 

 

  1. Conclusion: Modernization, Globalization and Europeanization of Turkey and the Balkans

 

  1. Final Exam
Required readings: 

Balfour, Rosa (2009): A wider EU: what’s next? Brussels: European Policy Centre. Online at http://www.epc.eu/TEWN/pdf/1036042412_A%20wider%20EU%20-%20what%20next.pdf, 20 April 2010.

Bechev, Dimitar (2004): Between Enlargement and CFSP: the EU and the Western Balkans. Paper prepared for the LSE European Foreign Policy conference, 2-3 June 2004, London School of Economics.

Belloni, Roberto (2001): Civil Society and Peacebuilding in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In: Journal of Peace Research, 38(2), pp. 163-180.

Belloni, Roberto (2009): European integration and the Western Balkans: lessons, prospects and obstacles. In: Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2009, 11, 3, pp. 313-331.

Bieber, Florian (2010): Constitutional reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina: preparing for EU accession. European Policy Centre. Policy Brief, April 2010.

Bürgin, Alexander (2011): European Commission’s agency meets Ankara’s agenda: Why Turkey is ready for a readmission agreement, in: Journal of European Public Policy (September 26).

Carothers, Thomas & Barndt, William (1999/2000): Civil Society. In: Foreign Policy, No. 117 (Winter, 1999-2000), pp. 18-24+26-29

Chandler, David (2007): Introduction: Inside the Bosnian Crisis. In: Journal of Intervention and State Building – Volume 1 Special Supplement – 1 December 2007, pp. 1-10.

Cini, Michelle / Perez-Solorzano Borragan, Nieves (eds.) (20103): European Union Politics. Oxford: University Press.

Delhey, Jan (2007): Do enlargements make the EU less cohesive? An analysis of trust between EU nationalities, Journal of Common Market Studies, 45(2), 253-79.

Demetropolou, Leeda (2002): Europe and the Balkans: Membership Aspiration, EU Involvement and Europeanization Capacity in South Eastern Europe. In: Southeast European Politics Vol. III, No. 2-3, November 2002 pp. 87-106.

Grigoriadis, Ioannis N. (2009): Islam and democratization in Turkey: secularism and trust in a divided society, Democratization, 16(6), 1194-1213.

Hays, Don & Crosby, Jason (2006): From Dayton to Brussels: Constitutional Preparations for Bosnia's EU Accession. US Institute of Peace. Paper.

Hughes, Kirsty (2004) Turkey and the EU: Just another enlargement? Exploring the implication of Turkish Accession, Friends of Europe Working Paper, http://www.cdu.de/en/doc/Friends_of_Europe_Turkey.pdf (Section 2 plus 3.

Hupchick, Dennis P. (2002): The Balkans: from Constantinople to Communism, New York, pp. 1-20

-Iordache, Gheorghe / Bogzeanu, Cristina (2009):The EU integration of the Western Balkans States and Turkey – Security costs and gains. In: Strategic Impact, 2009, 4, pp. 65-73. Online at http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/getdocument.aspx?logid=5&id=c1332771570f4b1d97754574e0b1af27, 21 April 2010.

Jano, Dorian (2008): EU - Western Balkans Relations: The Many EU Approaches. In: The Journal of the International University Institute of European Studies (IUIES), Special Issue on 'The Mediterranean Beyond Borders: Perspectives on Integration', Bart Van Steenbergen, (ed.), Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 143-160.

Joseph, Edward P. & Hitchner, R. Bruce (2008): Making Bosnia Work: Why EU Accession is Not Enough. US Institute of Peace, USIPeace Briefing, June 2008.

King, Charles (2001): The Myth of Ethnic Warfare: Understanding Conflict in the Post-Cold War WorldModern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War by Stuart J. Kaufman. Review Essay, Foreign Affairs, 80(6), pp. 165-170.

Korski, Daniel & Gowan, Richard (2009): Can the EU Rebuild Failing States? A Review of Europe’s Civilian Capacities. European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), October 2009.

Lederach, John Paul (1995): Preparing for Peace. Conflict Transformation across Cultures. Syracuse.

Lederach, John Paul (1997): Building Peace. Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies. Washington, D.C.

Lejour/de Moji (2005): Turkish Delight: Does Turkey’s Accession to the EU bring economic benefits? In: Kyklos, 58(1).

McLaren, Lauren (2007): Explaining Opposition to Turkish Membership of the EU, in: European Union Politics, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 251 – 278.

Müftüler-Bac/Gürsoy, Y. (2010): Is there a Europeanization of Turkey’s Foreign Policy, in: Turkish Studies, 11(3).

Müftüler-Bac, M./Güney, A. (2005): The European Union and the Cyprus Problem 1961 – 2003, in: Middle Eastern Studies, 41(2), 281-293.

Neumann, Iver B. (1998), European Identity, EU Expansion, and the Integration/Exclusion. In: Alternatives: Global, Local, Political, Vol. 23, No. 3 (July-Sept. 1998), pp. 397-416.

Önis, Ziya (2003): Domestic Politics, International Norms and Challenges to the State: Turkey-EU Relations in the post-Helsinki Era, in: Turkish Studies, 4(1), 9-34.

Önis, Ziya (2011): Multiple Faces of the “New” Turkish Foreign Policy: Underlying Dynamics and a Critique, Insight Turkey 13(1), 47-65.

Park, Bill (2012): Modern Turkey. People, state and foreign policy in a globalized world, New York: Routledge, chapter 2 – 5.

Parker, Owen (2009): Cosmopolitan Europe and the EU-Turkey question: the politics of a common destiny, in: Journal of European Public Policy, 16(7), 1085-1101.

Petrakos, George & Christodoulakis, Nicos (1997): Economic Developments in the Balkan Countries and the Role of Greece: From Bilateral Relations to the Challenge of Integration. London: Center for Economic Policy Research. Discussion Paper No. 1620, April 1997.

Renner, Stephan & Trauner, Florian (2009): Creeping EU Membership in Southeast Europe: The Dynamics of EU Rule Transfer to the Western Balkans. In: Journal of European Integration, 31:4, pp. 449-465

Roudometof, Victor (2001): Nationalism, globalization, and orthodoxy. The social origins of ethnic conflict in the Balkans, Westport: Greenwood, pp. 1-18 & 229-240.

Schimmelfennig, Frank (2008): Entrapped again: The way to EU membership negotiations with Turkey, UCD Dublin European Institute, Working Paper 8, http://www.ucd.ie/dei/wp/WP_08-8_Schimmelfennig.pdf

Steil, Benn & Woodward, Susan L. (1999): A European "New Deal" for the Balkans. In: Foreign Affairs, Vol. 78, No. 6 (Nov. - Dec., 1999), pp. 95-105

Stewart, Emma (2008), Capabilities and Coherence? The Evolution of EU Conflict Prevention', European Foreign Affairs Review, Vol. 13/2 pp. 229-253

Taşpınar, Ömer (2011): The Rise of Turkish Gaullism: Getting Turkish-American Relations Right, in: Insight Turkey, 13(1).

Tate, Jahnisa (2008): Turkey's Article 301: A Legitimate Tool for Maintaining Order or a Threat to Freedom of Expression? In: The Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, 2008, 37, 1, pp. 181-216.

Toal, Gerard et.al. (2006): Bosnia-Herzegovina Ten Years after Dayton: Constitutional Change and Public Opinion. In: Eurasian Geography and Economics, 2006, 47, No. 1, pp. 61-75.

Urwin, Derek W. (2010): The European Community: From 1945 to 1985. In: Cini, Michelle / Perez-Solorzano Borragan, Nieves (eds.) (20103): European Union Politics. Oxford: University Press, pp. 15-31.

Verheugen, Günter (2012) Meeting the geopolitical challenges of the Arab Spring: A call for a joint EU-Turkish Agenda, International Policy and leadership Institute, No. 1.

Other Resources: 

European Union: http://europa.eu

European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu

Council of the EU: http://consilium.europa.eu

European Parliament: http://europarl.europa.eu

NATO: http://www.nato.int

Council of Europe: http://www.coe.int

EU Observer: http://euobserver.com

EurActiv: http://www.euractiv.com

Brief Biography of Instructor: 

Dr. Marcel Baumann holds a master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ulster (Magee College). He completed his Ph.d. on Peace Process and Conflict Transformation at the Humboldt-University of Berlin in 2008. Since 2006, he has been a research fellow at the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute for Socio-Cultural Research in Freiburg. He has been lecturing at the university since 2005 and has taught classes, inter alia, on Foreign Policy Analysis, Conflict Transformation, Security Studies, Conflict Research and Political Theory.

Dr. Alexander Bürgin is Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations and European Union Studies at Izmir University of Economics. His research interests cover the European integration process, EU-Turkey relations, international migration and integration policies. He holds a master’s degree in European Union Studies from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and doctorate in Political Sciences from the University of Mannheim.

Dr. Işık Gürleyen is Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations and European Union Studies at Izmir University of Economics. She has a Ph.D. degree in Comparative and European Politics at the University of Siena, Italy. Her main research interest is European integration, Turkish foreign policy and democratization. She teaches various courses on related topics.

Contact Hours: 
60