MACMILLAN The EU's Power in Inter-Organisational Relations (The European Union in International Affairs)

This book studies inter-organisational relations from a new angle: power. Drawing on examples that highlight how the EU relates to NATO and to the UN, it shows how consequential inter-organisational relations are for the functioning and nature of the organisations, and how important it is to detect the forms of power exerted in these relations. Power, for international organisations, is above all about relevance. In an era when the legitimacy and role of international organisations is increasingly questioned, the organisations have a growing concern for ensuring their continued relevance. Subsequently, the management of relevance is a central part of inter-organisational relations and becomes visible in the way organisations handle questions about their tasks, hierarchies and image. Clear and accessible, the book will appeal both to the growing scholarly community working on inter-organisational relations and to a variety of audiences including practitioners and scholars outside the field of international relations. Review “Relations between the EU and NATO have become the key to the future of Europe’s security. In this important and ambitious book, Hanna Ojanen situates these relations (to which she adds a third element, the UN) in the context of the theoretical literature on power in international organisations. Where hierarchy has always bedevilled these relationships, she demonstrates conclusively that interdependence of power, rather than “power over”, has become the crucial structuring variable.” (Jolyon Howorth, Yale University, USA) From the Back Cover This book studies inter-organisational relations from a new angle: power. Drawing on examples that highlight how the EU relates to NATO and to the UN, it shows how consequential inter-organisational relations are for the functioning and nature of the organisations, and how important it is to detect the forms of power exerted in these relations. Power, for international organisations, is above all about relevance. In an era when the legitimacy and role of international organisations is increasingly questioned, the organisations have a growing concern for ensuring their continued relevance. Subsequently, the management of relevance is a central part of inter-organisational relations and becomes visible in the way organisations handle questions about their tasks, hierarchies and image. Clear and accessible, the book will appeal both to the growing scholarly community working on inter-organisational relations and to a variety of audiences including practitioners and scholars outside the field of international relations. About the Author Hanna Ojanen is Jean Monnet Professor at the University of Tampere, Finland. Previously Head of Research at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and Programme Director of the European Union research programme at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, she focuses on European integration, notably security and defence policy.