This paper studies how the concept of human rights is reflected in the formulation and implementation of the foreign policy of the European Union (EU) in relation to Somali piracy. This work positions itself within the broader debate about the EU as a normative or ethical power and the possibility for its turning into a strategic actor. At the same time, our research interest is guided by the EU’s self-declared intention to pursue a “comprehensive approach” when dealing with piracy off the coast of Somalia. The importance of the topic is rooted also in the pervasiveness of the concept of human rights nowadays and the calls for “mainstreaming of human rights” in EU policies. To pursue the objective defined above, we engage in discourse analysis to pinpoint the specificities of the presence of human rights in foreign policymaking. The timeframe of the study covers the period 2008 to present day. This paper is part of my PhD research that explores the presence of the concept of human rights in the counter-piracy initiatives of the EU and the United States of America in a comparative perspective.
