Identity of peace : framing the European security identity of the EU

As some commentators have observed, one of the effects of "9/11" on the analysis international affairs is the rationalization of agency in world politics by focusing as much on the social meanings of policy-directions as on the empirical challenges faced by policy itself (M. Smith 2003:559). Another seems to be the apparent lack of historicity - i.e. effects of identity - in the explanation of dominant trends (Puchala 2003). This chapter, therefore, makes available an analytical conceptualization of the notion of European identity, premising its corollaries on perspectives derived from international relations (IR) theory. As such, the concept of identity is related to similar cultural, anthropological and psychological, explanations. Yet, it is distinct in that it deals with traits, habits and personalities of international actors (i.e. states, international organizations, etc.) - hence, it is an international identity and, therefore, the subject of IR.