Tatjana P. Rava started her education in the discipline of management and administration and combined it with practical engagement in international cooperation and on EU-funded projects. She then moved into the area of international affairs, security and comparative foreign policies and received BA in International Relations at the American University of Rome and MSc in European Politics at the University of Glasgow. Tatjana also participated at the two Jean Monett Seminars (EU foreign policy, the US and the World; Decision-making, negotiations and lobbying in the EU); worked as research assistant on EU-Russia relations; published a paper on conflicts in the shared EU-Russia-NATO neighborhood; and gained experience of living in several European countries. Her previous research addressed, amongst other: the European Security Strategy; EU-US-NATO relations; EU and Russian security policies in Kosovo, Moldova and Georgia; disintegration of former Yugoslavia; and the link between ambiguous national identity and security in “duplicated nation-states”. Tatjana’s current interests include: foreign and security policies of the EU, the US and Russia, EU and multilateral security governance, Transatlantic relations, and Politics in Western Balkans.

Title of research project: Emperor’s New Clothes? The EU Security and Multilateralism

Supervisor: Prof. Dr Wolfgang Wessels (University of Cologne)

Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr John Peterson (University of Edinburgh)

Conceptually, the PhD thesis addresses the EU role in the context of changing and challenging multilateralism. This is closely related to the post-Westphalian security environment where conflicts require innovative solutions – for which the EU, by its own non-traditional nature, should and often claims to be well equipped.

In empirical sense, the thesis deals with the question of what the EU involvement in security in the Western Balkans tells us about the role of the EU as regional security actor with global aspirations working in both multilateral and bilateral arrangements. The conflicts in the Western Balkans have been at the core of the establishment of CFSP and CSDP, and they were, amongst the first, to start challenging the “old multilateralism” – hence, their relevance for both EU regional security concerns and global security issues.

The thesis will focus on the use of normative power by the EU, as well as on the interaction between EU’s bilateral, strategic partnerships, and the EU contribution to multilateral security solutions. It will also include two intervening variables: local perceptions of the EU in the Western Balkans, and the ability of the EU to establish clear, strategic security objectives.