Seidel, K. 2023. Setting the agenda on Britain’s policy towards the European Community: Miriam Camps at Chatham House. Contemporary European History. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960777323000619
| Title | Setting the agenda on Britain’s policy towards the European Community: Miriam Camps at Chatham House |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Seidel, K. |
| Abstract | Historical analysis of the United Kingdom government’s policy towards European integration is mostly confined to the ‘official’ sphere, that is government, civil service and professional diplomacy. Non-governmental actors within the wider field of para-diplomacy such as policy entrepreneurs or elite foreign policy think tanks have not yet been systematically incorporated in this history. This article explores when and under what circumstances such diplomatic actors can influence government foreign policy formulation. The case explored here is that of Miriam Camps (1916-1994), a scholar, former US diplomat and senior researcher at Chatham House. Camps utilised her Chatham House contacts, including key Foreign Office officials as well as her wider transnational network, to influence the Foreign Office’s stance on the so-called ‘empty chair’ crisis of the European Economic Community in 1965/66. The article argues that during the crisis Camps acted as a policy entrepreneur with the aim of advancing her own ideas and changing the government of the United Kingdom’s position towards the European Economic Community. Besides demonstrating the influence of unofficial diplomats on policy formulation, the article also contributes to the growing literature on the varied roles of women in international relations and diplomacy. |
| Keywords | Europe |
| Britain | |
| gender | |
| think tanks | |
| diplomacy | |
| Journal | Contemporary European History |
| ISSN | 0960-7773 |
| Year | 2023 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Publisher's version | License CC BY 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960777323000619 |
| Web address (URL) | https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/contemporary-european-history/article/setting-the-agenda-on-the-united-kingdoms-policy-towards-the-european-community-miriam-camps-at-chatham-house/FB2ACED9A1E0946DBA2BD79589D39BF7# |
| Publication dates | |
| Published online | 12 Dec 2023 |