Comparative analysis reveals persistent neutrality norms despite deepening integration in Ireland and Malta, highlighting how symbolic consensus enables domestic norm survival.
Key Points
To examine why national neutrality persists in Ireland and Malta despite increasing participation in the European Union's foreign and security architecture.
Comparative analysis of foreign policy and security integration in Ireland and Malta.
Application of constructivist and cognitive frameworks within Foreign Policy Analysis to assess domestic norm legitimacy and political discourse.
Identified performative consensus as a key mechanism whereby political leaders repeatedly reaffirm neutrality commitments while simultaneously accommodating supranational policy adaptations.
Identified a nested elite–public feedback loop where elite discourse and citizen expectations mutually reinforce the domestic legitimacy of neutrality over time.
Demonstrated that symbolic normative continuity coexists with substantive policy change, defining domestic boundaries for European security integration.