The Egoistic Union - EU from an Argentine perspective

Abstract: In the lights of the reopening of formal negotiations between the EU and Mercosur, this thesis investigates the image of the EU in Argentina. How others’ view the EU is important for the union’s possibility to succeed with its foreign policy goals. Mutual understanding is crucial in order to make the cooperation run smoothly. The EU seems to expect that the cooperation automatically would benefit from the fact that the continents have similar culture. It seems however that the Europeans are mistaken. Argentineans, “the Europeans of Latin America” give the EU the lowest grade out of all Mercosur countries. This thesis investigates sources of criticism of the EU in Argentina. Through a media investigation and by interviewing students, the main debates regarding the EU are exposed. These are compared to the EU’s self image as a special kind of power, driven by values such as democracy and human rights. The contrast between how the Argentineans view the EU and the EU’s self image is astonishing. Stricter immigration control and racism strongly devaluate the opinions of the EU. The findings also suggest that the union isn’t viewed as a special kind of power at all. Quite on the contrary, it is often grouped together with the USA and presented as acting out of self interest. The central question to answer for many Argentinean students was whether they liked both the EU and the USA, or neither.