The European Union and Contested States: Sovereignty and Conflict in World Politics

This paper introduces a conceptual framework for exploring the EU's approach to contested states, i.e. self-declared states with limited recognition, and the conflicts they relate to. Drawing on social constructivism, this question is explored in three case studies (TRNC in Cyprus, Palestine and Luhansk and Donetsk in Ukraine) and two stages of analysis: first, I will analyse how ideas on sovereignty are (re)produced within EU discourse. Then, I will trace the process by which these ideas shape the EU's approach towards contested states and their conflicts, taking into account a series of mediating factors, such as the degree of recognition of the contested state by EU member states. The argument advanced is that ideas of sovereignty, such as the idea of international recognition as 'external sovereignty', overall limit the EU's ability to engage, although there are instances where they might influence approaches that contribute to the resolution of the conflict. By doing so the paper improves our understanding of EU approaches towards contested states and conflict, a topic neglected by a literature that looks at the international role of the EU more in relation to 'conventional' states or generally conflict resolution. The Ukraine crisis, on-going tension in the Arab-Israeli conflict and renewed efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, show the continuous importance of contested statehood for European and international politics.