Towards Cosmopolitan Security Politics? Analysis of Public Discourse on Neutrality in Austria and Ireland
Towards Cosmopolitan Security Politics? Analysis of Public Discourse on Neutrality in Austria and Ireland

Summary/Abstract: Assuming that neutrality has always reflected the character of the international security environment and the understanding of war, this paper aims to analyse whether the post- Cold War public discourse on neutrality has been affected by cosmopolitan values and norms. After presenting the idea of cosmopolitan security, neutrality is approached theoretically though the constructivist logic, and its compatibility with the cosmopolitan vision of international politics is discussed. In the empirical part, the main trends in the public discourse on neutrality in two neutral states – Austria and Ireland – are analysed, using discursive methodology. Based on this analysis, the paper concludes that while neutrality has been reconceptualised and narrowed down, it is still perceived as an important principle of national security policy. At the domestic level, neutrality is still understood rather in the traditional context and thus, it is difficult to follow it in the current security environment and apply it to contemporary ‘wars’.

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