The European Union as an international actor from an Interactionist Role Theory perspective : Lessons from the crisis in Ukraine

This thesis aims to answer how the EU’s role as an international actor was constructed after the Russian occupation of Crimea, by utilising an interactionist role theory analytical framework. In doing so it makes a theoretical contribution to the framework by connecting it to concepts found useful in earlier actorness research. The empirical contribution is made by tracing the role-making process that followed Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. The framework proved useful when analysing how EU actorness was constructed in the role-making process. The analysis shows that though the EU had the capacity to participate actively and deliberately in the role-making process and thus had actorness, it was unable to assert itself in its preferred role as “peacemaker” between Ukraine and Russia. Instead, it played the role of “supporter of a Europeanising Ukraine”