Positive/Negative Identity in the Euro-Atlantic Communities: Germany's Past, Europe's Future?
Title:
Positive/Negative Identity in the Euro-Atlantic Communities: Germany's Past, Europe's Future?
Author:
Hampton, Mary Sperling, James
Appeared in:
Journal of european integration
Paging:
Volume 24 (2002) nr. 4 pages 281-301
Year:
2002
Contents:
This article appraises the positive identity hypothesis for the Euro-Atlantic area within two institutional contexts of action: NATO and the EU. The emergence of positive identity formation between Germany and her partners in the EU and NATO is found to be uneven, incomplete, and to vary considerably between specific dyads. At least two major obstacles to the completion of the process are identified. First, as Europe moves towards economic and security union, the Atlantic identity upon which it has been predicated since 1957 is increasingly at odds with the European identity necessary to complete the deepening of the EU. Second, a deep-seeded distrust of Germany, rooted in the common historical memory of World War II, underlines Germany's continuing status as part of the 'other' in the European mind. The article reaches two conclusions. First, positive identity among democracies can only be validated empirically in particular dyads. Second, positive identity cannot be generalised across a putative 'security community' since states and publics have multiple identities.
Journal description