CFP: Foreign Policy and Democratic Governance in post-1945 Europe
27 June 2019, European Studies Centre (ESC), St Antony’s College, Oxford

The course of international relations depends on the way in which foreign policy is governed. Whether decisions are taken democratically or by an authoritarian leader. Whether foreign policy is part of the public discourse or kept secret. Whether governments act alone or within an alliance framework. Over the past decades, Europe has transitioned from violent conflict and Cold War antagonism to the most advanced multilateral foreign policy apparatus in history. There seems to be a trend towards more internationalisation, professionalisation, and democratisation of foreign policy, although it remains questionable if these changes have made the world a more peaceful place.

The idea of this workshop is to explore some of the most important developments in the way foreign policy has been governed since the end of the Second World War. We invite contributions from historians, international lawyers, political scientists, and researchers in related disciplines that examine how Europe’s external affairs have evolved from the Treaty of Dunkirk to the bureaucracy of the European Union (EU), including both general approaches and case studies. In particular, we are interested in studies focusing on:

political institutions
military alliances
legal reforms
voting rights
(dis)armament
diplomatic services
civil society
public opinion
the press
digital technology
academic reflections
opposition groups
individual influences

Our keynote speaker will be Professor Anne Deighton (Oxford).

Interested researchers are asked to submit a proposal (including a title, a 300 words abstract, and a short bio) to Jan Stöckmann (jan.charles.stockmann@ulb.ac.be) by 15 February 2019. Notifications of acceptance will be sent shortly thereafter. Papers will be 20 minutes each. We welcome scholars across disciplinary backgrounds and career levels. Lunch and coffee breaks will be provided, but unfortunately there are no funds available for accommodation or travel. The workshop is kindly hosted by the European Studies Centre (ESC) at St Antony’s College, Oxford, and co-sponsored by the Wiener-Anspach Foundation which promotes academic exchange between the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB).