((D)(e-))Valuation of the EU's "Moral Power" in the European Neighbourhood (Policy) (ENP).

Driven by the New Cold War between Russia and the West since 2014, this article draws on moral theory hinging on the conceptual framework of 'moral power' theoretically proceeding from 'civilian'/'norm ative'/'ethical' 'power Europe'. These are applied to the European Neighbourhood (Policy) (enp) as a prime test case composed of atomised case studies on a geographic terrain characterised by political, security, economic, etc. turmoil. Ontologically, the article bridges neorealism, constructivism, and critical theory to explain the latest developments in the EU's political neighbourhood. Epistemologically, it relies on the outside/in, bottom- up, inbound/outbound trajectories to grasp the local dynamics, regional interplay and the global context. Methodologically, it carries out qualitative discourse and quantitative content-analysis transcending from the 'pragmatic' and 'narrative' turns to interpretivism. This article a) demonstrates the theoretical convalescence from the 'normative power Europe' (npe) to 'moral power' deconstructing npe's core and minor norms and b) anatomises the enp through the seven 'parameters' of 'morality', namely, consequentialism, coherence, consistency, balance between values and interests, normative steadiness, inclusiveness and external legitimacy, and the relevant type of 'power', i.e. 'potential', 'actual', and 'actualised'. Thereby it 'constructs' a pyramid compartmentalising the EU's norms in line with purported objective morality, relative ethics and subjective normativity. Ultimately, beyond realpolitik, the article shows depletion of the npe, which induces (de-) valuation of the EU's 'moral power' through 'normative digressions' -- corrosion, derogation, deviation, perversion, erosion, conversion, subversion in tandem with 'moral distortions' -- morally utilitarian, unmoral, anti-moral, amoral, immoral, non-moral, and moralist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]