ABSTRACT
Following the analysis of the Europeanization of the foreign and security policy discourses in Finland and Britain, this chapter focuses on the relationship between the European Union and the member-state identities in this field. Specifically, it discusses the similarities and differences between Finland and Britain in light of the increasing Europeanization of foreign and security policy, thereby elucidating the contribution of the comparative discourse analysis. It appears from the case studies that the CFSP and the CSDP were at the heart of the rearticulations of these discourses in the two countries. As such, these twin policies shaped the reproduction of these state identities. However, a comparison of the findings of the discourse analysis indicates that Europeanization had very different effects on them. Whereas in Finland it was fundamental for the rapid transforma - tion from a neutrality identity to an alignment identity, in Britain it enabled the reproduction of the traditional British great-power identity. This chapter puts forward three key arguments. First, it seems that the Europeanization of foreign and security policy is more than intergovernmental cooperation: the case studies indicate that the identities of the states involved were shaped or even transformed. On the other hand and second, the differences between Finland and Britain are indicative of the continuing importance of the member states in the process. Significantly, both convergence and divergence are possible in this context. Finally, the differences highlight the value of context-specific discourse analysis as a tool for analysing European foreign and security policy. Crucially, comparison is imperative in explicating what, if anything, is context-specific in the analysis. In order to illustrate these arguments the first section of this chapter revisits the broader background of the book in light of two questions. Why make the comparison? Why take these cases? The second section compares and contrasts the findings of the case studies. The chapter ends with a discussion on the relevance of these findings for the analysis of European foreign policy/ies.
