Introduction

Abstract

The chapter introduces the volume by exploring some of its central themes. It highlights how recent events have triggered a discussion about whether an international order in Europe that was based on a thick normative and institutional architecture, especially after the end of the Cold War, could survive a return of fear and uncertainty on the continent. As the introduction and the chapters in the volume explore, it is legitimate to ask whether fear and uncertainty ever left. Moreover, it highlights how the volume will examine what sort of conceptual tools we have used to explore these recent dynamics in Europe, using realism as a reference point in these debates.