EU-driven
Interregionalism and the
(De)Legitimisation of
Regionalism and
Multilateralism
Fredrik Söderbaum
&
Luk Van Langenhove
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS
Context
• GARNET workpackage 5.1.1.
• Book ‘The EU as a Global Player. The
Politics of Interregionalism’ (2006)
• New book project: relationship between
interregionalism and
regionalism/multilateralism
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS
Wat is the issue?
• Potentials of regions to be global actors
• One regional organisation with clear
global ambitions
• Constraints of interregionalism
– Limitations of the regular ‘theatre’ of
international relations
– Absence of theatre of bilateral interregional
relations
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS
Varieties of Interregionalism
Type
Actor A
Actor B
Form of interregionalism
1
Regional organisation
Regional organisation
Pure interregionalism
2
Regional organisation
Regional group
Pure interregionalism
3
Regional group
Regional group
Pure interregionalism
4
Group of states from more than the
two core regions (plural region)
Group of states from more than the
two core regions (plural region)
transregionalism
5
Regional organisation/regional group
State in region (relations with China
because it is part of a region, e.g.
Asem)
Hybrid interregionalism (region-state
relations)
6
Regional organisation/regional group
State (China as a separate state)
Hybrid interregionalism (region-state
relations, but of different kind compared
to 5)
7
State in region
(Sweden acting because it is part of
EU)
Region (or state in region)
Hybrid interregionalism (state-region
relations)
8
State in region
(Sweden acting because it is part of
EU)
State
Hybrid interregionalism (state/regionstate relations)
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS
What are the problems?
• Policy problem
• Academic problem
• Methodological problem
• Technical problem
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS
Policy Problem
• What place for interregionalism in
the Westphalian world order?
• How do states and multilateral
organisations deal with
interregionalism?
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS
Academic Problem
• Understanding the dynamics of
interregional relations
• Relationship between
interregionalism and
regionalism/multilateralism
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS
Methodological Problem:
nomothesis vs. idiography
• The nomothetic trend
– Towards a world of regions
– Many different drivers of the process, but
important is: regions create regions
• The idiographic process
– EU is not a model but it is an important
region builder
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS
The Broad Research Agenda …
• Why are regions developing
interregional relations?
• How do they do it?
• What is the impact of this on ‘normal’
international relations between states?
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS
What about Europe?
• EU contributor to creation of regional
organisations in other parts of the world
– Indirectly:
– Directly:
EU is taken as an example
EU promotes its own regionalism
through teaching and support
EU imposes regionalism (EPA
agreements)
• EU contributes to the relevance and impact of
regional organisations in other parts of the
world
– By stimulating competition between regions
– By being at the forefront or being an actor inside the
UN
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS
Two approaches needed
• Nomothetic study of
interregionalism
• Idiographic study of EU’s relations
with other regional organisations
and with the global polity
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS
Our research questions
• Does regionalism give rise to interregionalism
and vice versa?
• In what ways does interregionalism change
the nature of regionalism?
• To what extent does interregionalism promote
or hinder regionalist projects?
• Can interregionalism be seen as part of new
world order that moves away from both
unipolarism and classical Westphalian
multilateralism?
• Does interregionalism form part of a pattern
of regions being part of world order, and what
are the impacts of conventional
multilateralism?
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS
By way of conclusion
• Interregionalism is a driver
towards more regionalism
• Legitimation paradox:
– EU needs other regions to
manifestate itself as a region
– EU wants to act more as a state than
as a region in the multilateral
framework
United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies
UNU-CRIS