The European Union (EU) is widely recognized as the most advanced model of regional integration. Far less attention, however, has been paid to its role as a regionalizing actor—projecting its regional logic outward and making regionalization a pillar of foreign policy. In this capacity, the EU pursues a twofold approach: clustering states into shared policy frameworks for efficiency, while also promoting cooperation inspired by its own integration experience. This book examines how these dynamics unfold in the post-Soviet South Caucasus—Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Here, “region” is less an organic reality than a political construction: Regional identity is contested, historical disputes continue to shape inter-state relations, foreign policy trajectories diverge, and the area is subject to competing external influences. By analyzing how regionalization is embedded in the EU’s foreign policy instruments, and tracing its evolution over time, the study identifies recurring patterns and develops a conceptual framework for understanding the EU’s regionalization practices, with insights from the South Caucasus potentially extending to other contested regions.
Price: $34.00
Pages: 230
Publisher: Ibidem Press
Imprint: Ibidem Press
Series: European Studies in the Caucasus
Publication Date:
30 June 2026
Trim Size: 8.27 X 5.83 in
ISBN: 9783838221069
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
POLITICAL SCIENCE / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Russian & Soviet
This is a timely and much-needed contribution to the study of the EU’s foreign policy. It stands out by applying a regionalization lens to a geographical area where regionalization is inherently difficult due to entrenched geopolitical tensions. With analytical clarity and theoretical depth, it unpacks the EU’s evolving strategy and offers a novel framework for understanding its dual role as actor and model. A must-read for scholars of European integration, foreign policy, and regionalism.
Tatia Dolidze (Author)
Dr. Tatia Dolidze is Associate Professor and Head of the International Relations program at European University, Georgia, where she leads a Jean Monnet Action on EU enlargement. She is active in COST, Horizon, and Erasmus+ projects, serves on the PfPC South Caucasus Working Group, and is a state-appointed expert for HEI authorization and program accreditation. With over a decade of experience, her career spans academia, government, think tanks, and international organizations across Georgia, the EU, and the US. Her research focuses on EU foreign policy toward the Eastern Neighbourhood, South Caucasus regional affairs, and the Europeanization of higher education. She holds a BA in International Relations (cum laude) from Tbilisi State University, an MA in European Studies (cum laude) from Maastricht University, and a PhD in European Studies (magna cum laude) from the Institute of European Studies at TSU. She is trained and certified in public policy analysis, national security, leadership and strategic communication.
Steven Blockmans (Foreword by)
Dr. Steven Blockmans is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (Brussels) and the International Centre for Defence and Security (Tallinn), a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, and Editor-in-Chief of the European Foreign Affairs Review.
