Dissertation Proposal Natalia Upir

                                      Dissertation  Proposal

                                                                                                                Natalia Upir

Trans - Atlantic Relations and  Obama’s Foreign Policy

1. The Problematic

US foreign policy has changed under the Presidency of Barack Obama, who has engaged traditional and new allies, potential and actual rivals as well as soft competitors. This engagement requires deeper understanding, and analysis, to grasp possible implications to international relations in general and European security in particular.

 

2. Main Hypotheses

1) Under Obama’s foreign policy,   EU-US relations began to transform;

 

2) Obama’s firmly supports Turkish membership bid to join the EU;

 

3) The focus of the US foreign policy is moving away from the EU towards the Middle East and East Asia.

 

3. Subject Significance

The US foreign policy is a subject of vital importance. Being one of the founding members of the UN, G8, NATO, OECD, etc. It plays an active role in forming policies which obviously influence other member states.

 

4. Aims and Objectives

This dissertation will provide some key points of Obama’s foreign policy which will focus on impartial analysis of the US’s main policies and interests, and what changes under Obama’s foreign policy.

 

5. Subject Motivation

The motivation behind this subject is based on helping to realize Obama’s foreign policy program presented during the election campaign (which is to some extent based on his personal life-story). Development and reality of the global strategic environment, domestic and international perceptions of the US foreign policy and of course, the long-term strategic interests of the United States.

 

 

6. Research questions

a) What is Barack Obama’s foreign policy agenda?

b) What are the advantages and disadvantages of this agenda?

c) What is a position of the EU concerning this situation?

d) What is motivating Obama to propose to the EU to collaborate with Turkey?

e) Why some EU’s member states don’t want to except Turkey to the Union?

f) Why are transatlantic relations do not make progress? How to revitalize them?

g) Which countries are currently in the priority of the US foreign policy?

 

7. Empirical work

Obama as president -> new dialogue with the EU -> changes in Trans – Atlantic relations

 

US reprioritization of foreign policy -> increased interest in Afro – Asia relations

 

Decreasing in Euro centricity -> new US’s enemy

 

8. Sources of information

1. James F.Dobbins, “America’s role in nation-building: from Germany to Iraq”, 2003-2004.
2. Francois Heisbourg, “American hegemony? Perceptions of the US abroad”, 1999-2000.
3. Robert Kagan, “Paradise and power: America and Europe in the new world order”, 2003.
4. Transatlantic divide: comparing American and European society by Alberto Martinelli, 2007.
5. Barack Obama , “ Change we can believe in”, 2008
6. Barack Obama, “ The audacity of hope”, 2006
7. Security strategy and transatlantic relations by Roland Dannreuther, John Peterson, 2006
8. NATO, EU and the Atlantic community. The transatlantic bargain challenged(second edition), by Stanley  R.Sloan
9. Ackerman, S. (2008). The Obama Doctrine. March 24, 2008, The AmericanProspect, http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_obama_doctrine