Includes bibliographical references.

Europe's history - the background to European integration -- The state, sovereignty and nationalism -- Nationalism in Europe -- Integration theory, the European Union and the state -- European Union institutions and the state -- EU governance and policymaking -- International Relations theory, the state, and the EU -- Enlargement : history, achievements, and the EU neighbourhood -- EU as a global actor : foreign, security and defence policy -- Policing, justice, migration, and internal security -- Globalisation, the single market, trade, and EU social policy -- Economic and Monetary Union : power, unity, discord -- Democratic deficit, Euroscepticism, populism, and contested values -- Sustainability and environmental policy, agriculture, fisheries, energy -- Europe, the state, and globalisation.

"The European Union in a Global Context explores the interplay between the state and state sovereignty, nationalism, European integration and globalisation. It provides essential foundations in these areas, while using stimulating arguments to prompt discussion and provoke interest in the relationships between these processes. It critically analyses the challenges faced by the EU from the contemporary political and economic dynamics of globalisation (IPE), including trading relationships set through the WTO and bilateral relations with emerging markets, especially the BRIC economies. Likewise, pressures from within, such as a resurgence of nationalism, localisation, anti-austerity politics, and Euroscepticism are examined. While the Union is fundamentally challenged by pressures from above and below, and by its own internal dysfunction, it remains central to the effective management of the international political economy. The European Union in a Global Context is a lively, focussed and engaging text, incorporating anecdotes and contemporary arguments, and presenting different perspectives on European integration and globalisation. It will be of key interest to European Politics, European Studies, European Union Studies and more broadly to global political economy, foreign and security policy and international relations"--