The great debate: disruptions, identity politics and foreign policy in post-Cold War Greece

Thesis

In this thesis, I explain the variance of Greek foreign policy outcomes by focusing on its most recent historical period. Since the end of the Cold War, Athens has displayed variance in its foreign policy behavior within and across issues, shifting from co-operation to defection from the international community or opting to stay inactive. I offer an analytical framework in order to understand the causal chain(s) leading to differing policy outcomes. I first discuss the dominant paradigms of IR theory, Liberalism and Realism. Arguably, both go a long way towards explaining the restraints and opportunities of states. However, since both hypotheses internalize states as unitary actors responding to external incentives, many questions are left unanswered. Hence, I also explore whether and to what extent decision-making and ultimately the policy outcome can be understood through the prism of national identity. I underline the continuity of Greek identity through Greece’s modern history as an independent state but argue that the variance in Greek foreign policy is the product of an Identity characterized by a structural dichotomy as individuals or groups that attach different meanings to their common Identity can respond very differently to similar challenges. Thus, I examine whether ‘soft’ and ‘hard liners’ engaged in what I term a Great Debate on two levels: first, in the wider society amongst Identity Warriors, including the Church, the media and civil society; second, within the political elite, as a more instrumental analysis about end-means relationships in the context of political action must be considered. An enabling environment for the political process is thus created, with ‘soft’ and ‘hard line’ political agents struggling to gain the highest level of acceptance of their policies. Through the study of three particular moments in Greece’s post-1989 foreign policy story, e.g. the 1999 Greco-Turkish rapprochement, the 2004 Cyprus Annan plan and the 1992 Macedonian name dispute, I examine how this great debate plays out, on both levels of analysis, amongst Identity Warriors and political agents, and under what conditions the policy outcome is determined.

Authors: Bakoyannis, K

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English