European Union's Influence in Central Asia
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A01=Olga Alinda Spaiser
Asian studies
Author_Olga Alinda Spaiser
Category=JPSN
Central Asia
Central Asian geopolitics
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
EU foreign policy
EU policy
EU Water Initiative
Eurasia
European Union
Human security
Normative power
Promotion of norms
Product details
- ISBN 9781498542234
- Weight: 581g
- Dimensions: 159 x 240mm
- Publication Date: 12 Mar 2018
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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Unknown yet highly strategic, Central Asia attracts the interest of major global powers due to its vast energy resources and crucial geographic position. Russia, China, and the European Union view this region as an indispensable springboard to enhance their political and economic influence on the Eurasian landmass. Thus, facing strong competition and working on low budget, the EU is attempting to establish itself as a relevant and influential actor in an environment in which its leadership role is far from certain. Unlike in other post-communist regions, the EU is not able to rely on the attractiveness of its political models, and risks being marginalized by other global powers. The crucial question then is: How does the EU exert influence in such a challenging geopolitical context? Which strategies does the EU apply to be an actor who counts? Through an analysis of the EU’s discourse, instruments, and the reception of its policies in Central Asia, this study argues that the EU consciously takes the position of a second-tier actor who acts as a “consultant” and projects a picture of itself as an honest broker with no geopolitical agenda. The EU’s influence is confined to niche domains in the security sphere that are nevertheless important for the regional security. The EU is not a great power in the region nor is it willing to become one. It does, however, have comparative advantages in being perceived as inoffensive and for occupying areas that are neglected by the other actors, such as governance and water security.
Olga Alinda Spaiser is associate scholar in the Center for European Studies at Sciences Po and project manager for the Directorate-General for Crisis Prevention, Stabilisation and Post-Conflict Reconstruction in the German Federal Foreign Office.
