ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the chronic uncertainty and the multiplicity of understandings about who represents Europe. It puts forward four ideal categories to grasp the complexity underlying ‘Europe in crises’ in a global context: thick, thin, parochial, and global Europes. Non-Europeans are not necessarily seen as anathema in the context of thin Europe. They often become potential allies or partners in order to maximise European interests in social, political and economic domains. While thick Europe relies upon common identity, thin Europe stresses a harmony of interests and complex interdependencies among Europeans. European norms and standards do not solely rely on European as they follow universalistic recipes or global standards. It is also necessary to take into account the possibility that the Self-Other relationship is not inherently antagonistic.
