Threat Perception and European Identity Building: The Case of Elites in Belgium, Germany, Lithuania and Poland

In: Europe Asia studies, Band 61, Heft 6, S. 967-985

Abstract

In this article, the author argues that because one of the most important constituents of common identity is emotional unification against a perceived external threat, the European identity should be grounded in such a perception. This study analyzes three potential threats to European unity: the inclusion of Turkey, the relationship between certain member states and the US, and Russian interference in EU affairs. The article explores the relationship between Belgian, Germans, Polish, and Lithuanian elites and the development of perceptions of external threats. Based on survey data from spring 2007, the article concludes that social constructivism is a useful means of interpretation for European studies, and that the concept of the European identity differs distinctly between the elites of the four nations studied. W. A. Butler