This episode of The IR thinker explores how the European Union exerts influence in world politics without relying on traditional hard power, in conversation with Professor Anders Wivel. Drawing on his work on soft balancing, the discussion examines how the EU uses institutions, diplomacy and economic tools to shape outcomes while avoiding open confrontation, and how this differs from both hard balancing and soft power. The episode looks at inclusive and exclusive forms of institutional soft balancing, key historical successes and failures, the tension between national sovereignty and collective decision-making, the importance of “plasticity” in EU governance, and what EU practice reveals about sanctions, engagement with non-members and the role of non-state actors.
Professor Anders Wivel is Professor of International Relations at the University of Copenhagen. His core research interest is how small states manage power asymmetry and vulnerability in international politics, engaging critically and constructively with the realist – particularly neoclassical realist – tradition. He has served as Chief Investigator and Deputy Director of Research for the Danish Parliament’s independent inquiry into Denmark’s military engagements in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, co-chairs the “Small States in World Politics” section of the European International Studies Association, and is an active member of the Global Research Network on Peaceful Change.
Publications:
Small States in the European Union: What Do We Know and What Would We Like to Know?
Small States and the War in Ukraine
The EU’s Soft Balancing Governance Model: Origins, Characteristics and Prospects for the Future
Content
00:00 - Introduction
01:21 - Defining Soft Balancing vs Hard Balancing
03:16 - Soft Power vs Soft Balancing: Key Differences
05:12 - Relevance of Soft Balancing for EU Governance
07:08 - Inclusive vs Exclusive Institutional Soft Balancing
13:11 - Key Historical Milestones in EU Soft Balancing
18:06 - Lessons from Soft Balancing Failures
21:12 - Balancing National Sovereignty with Collective Decision-making
24:26 - The EU’s Institutional Structure: Too Many or Too Few?
28:01 - The Role of Plasticity in EU Governance Adaptation
34:53 - Successful and Unsuccessful Soft Balancing with Non-Members
38:00 - Causes of External Soft Balancing Failures
41:20 - Approaching Sanctions in Soft Balancing
43:09 - Official EU Resolutions on Soft Balancing
44:25 - Soft Balancing and International Relations Theories
48:53 - Challenges in Implementing Soft Balancing
52:40 - Soft Balancing in a More Centralized EU
53:52 - Regions Outside the EU and Soft Balancing Lessons
56:17 - The Role of Non-State Actors in Soft Balancing
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