The tension between idealistic and self-interested behaviour has long been a focus for those who study the foreign relations of the European Union. Political scientists have proposed that the EU is (or should be) a ‘normative power' which exerts influence on the world through the power of its ideals and its example.
Yet, in reality, when idealism and self-interest clash the latter tends to win out. This is hardly surprising as the European Union is an institution that reflects the natu...
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