A ‘tragic actor’? A realist perspective on ‘ethical power Europe’.

The article discusses the European Union (EU) as an "ethical power" in international relations from a realist and conservative political perspective. The twin dangers seen in attempting an ethical security and foreign policy are that the EU may become weak, irrelevant, and unable to advance the interests of its member states, and that it may pursue dangerous and overreaching moral projects. A normative international agenda is discussed as an option in cases where vital interests are not at stake, but only based on principles of prudence, skepticism, and reciprocity.