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When the Western world and its multilateral organizations like the European Union and NATO define their foreign policy, the question always arises as to what dominates, values or interests? Values/principles form the basis of NATO and the EU. The Atlantic Charter and the North Atlantic Treaty expressly refer to founding principles. The EU has a more elaborate catalog of values, embedded in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, such as the rule of law, individual freedom including freedom of expression and religion, minority rights, human rights sexual, etc.
Let us not forget that the background to the founding of the EU and NATO was the horrific Second World War, the result of extreme violations of basic human rights and extreme nationalism. Western organizations should overcome these disastrous trends of the past and build a new Europe.
But nation states and the organizations they have created do not neglect political and/or economic interests. The more these organizations lose, the more national interests will survive beneath the surface and influence their decision-making. This particularly concerns the EU’s foreign and security policy.
The current debates within the European Union demonstrate the difficulty of finding common policies, because they are the result of compromises between different national aspirations. The implementation of the vision of an ever closer union is at the very least interrupted. Paradoxically, national interests have strengthened alongside the integration process. Nations and political leaders, safely embedded within the EU, could afford to go it alone, if they thought it would benefit them.
The dominant nation of the Western world, the United States, has always occupied a special position. She was historically proud of her values-driven creation in the fight against the repression of the colonial master. On the other hand, as a strong military power surrounded by the sea, it was always keen to clearly express its political and economic interests.
From the Monroe Doctrine to their role in the last two world wars, the United States has attempted to establish itself as the first regional, then global, power. And it even played the role of the world police. With President Trump and his “Make America Great Again” values, values have been further replaced by overtly interest-driven policies. It has also weakened NATO’s effectiveness and attractiveness.
The “Eastern” powers
From a Western perspective, countries like Russia and China, but also to some extent Turkey, are primarily driven by their interests. They reject the extension of the West and their system of values and want to establish – in the case of Turkey one could say re-establish – their influence, particularly in regions which are not yet “finally” oriented towards the West. .
The Balkans are a clear example of a field of competition between the “West” and the “East”. As the EU hesitates to include the Western Balkan countries – not least because it fears a further weakening of its values due to premature accession – the “eastern” powers have begun to fight for the sympathy of the countries of the Balkans.
Certainly, there are differences between “Eastern” countries. Russia refers to certain traditional and orthodox Christian values which it opposes to liberal values which it believes destroy family values and uproot people from their origins. China mainly offers economic benefits, but nevertheless expects support in the face of Western criticism of China’s violation of human rights. And President Erdogan, with his neo-Ottoman policies, promotes his orthodox interpretation of Islam and fights against the supporters of his former ally Fetullah Gülen. Political and economic interests predominate, but values and ideologies are used to support these interests.
Divisions within the West
But the West has also become more divided, with the US trying to outdo the EU in “solving” Balkan problems. In fact, the latest “peace” initiatives in the region – like those in the Middle East – are more determined by the desire to support the current Israeli government – and certain groups of voters in the United States – and do not only have secondary effects on the situation in the country. the region.
Values in the narrow sense remain guiding principles only for the European Union. But it would be a mistake to take for granted that they are still the only, or even the main, factors determining EU foreign policy.
It was the President of the European Commission, van der Leyen, who, in her first “State of the Union” speech, recently underlined the need to stick to values in foreign policy, in particularly with regard to Russia. But values and pragmatic interests are closely linked. And this is the dilemma of EU foreign policy: on the one hand, the values are widely supported by its citizens, but on the other, they do not want them to be reinforced and promoted while neglecting their interests – economic – immediate.
A further dilemma for the EU is the fact that in several member states the very values on which the EU is founded are being deliberately and intentionally violated. This undermines the credibility of the EU and strengthens the people of the Western Balkans, who also do not want to see these values implemented in their country. Some within the EU even fear that criticizing the violation of fundamental values – for example freedom of expression and media freedom – could push these countries into the camp of the “Eastern” powers. This makes it difficult for the EU and in particular its Commission, as guardian of European principles and law, to follow a strictly values-driven policy.
Once again, we must recognize that the promotion of “European” values must be compromised with the interest of keeping these countries on the path to the EU. It is naive to expect from the EU either a strictly values-driven policy or a Trump-style policy of concluding purely political or economic deals. For some observers, EU policy seems to be a good example of a policy of “resourcefulness”.
But in comparison with the current policy of the EU’s “partner” in the West and even more so with the policy – sometimes seductive and sometimes threatening – of the “Eastern” powers, the value base of the EU’s foreign policy , particularly in the Western Balkans. , is clearly visible. Nevertheless, a stronger US value orientation, and hence a more attractive mix of interests and values in a more united West, would make Western policies in the Western Balkans more effective and provide a clear vision for progressive and democratic forces in this region. .
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