Philomena Murray,
Jean Monnet Chair ad personam ,
University of Melbourne and IIIS, Trinity College Dublin

 One of the most important tasks of
American statecraft over the next decade will therefore be to lock in a substantially increased investment -- diplomatic, economic, strategic, and otherwise -- in the Asia-Pacific region.
 The Asia-Pacific has become a key driver of global politics

 All the way with the USA?
 Trade agreements
 Selective/opportunistic regionalism
 Rebalancing to Asia?
 ‘Perhaps the greatest value of the EU is to act as a principled champion of rulesbased, co-operative security (David
O’Sullivan, 2013).

 US, Australia, EU pivots
 Presence
 Coherence & consistency
 Summitry & symmetry
 Priorities, values
 Asia: economic, security regionalism
 Model? Peace, reconciliation

 Role of the state. Sovereignty;
 commitments to regionalism, democracy;
 differing political orientation
 economic interests; FTAs
 leadership rivalry, deficits;
 TransPacific Partnership
 Asia is crowded
 Autonomy – from the US Asia Strategy

 ‘re-imagine’ security – NTS – non traditional security.
 Capacity building through programmes including disaster management, border management.
 Mediator?
 Normative actor?

The EU ’ s New Asia Strategy , 1994
 Trade deficit
1.
EU ’ s economic presence
2.
Stability
3.
Economic growth & devt
4.
Democracy & human rights.
ASEM

2001: Europe and Asia: A Strategic
Framework for Enhanced Partnerships
 strengthen EU’s presence, global weight.
1.
Political, security engagement
2.
Trade, investment
3.
Poverty
4.
Democracy, good governance, rule of law
5.
Global partnerships
6.
Awareness

2012: Europe’s year in Asia
 Signature of Treaty of Amity and cooperation with ASEAN
 FTAs – bilateral
 East Asia Guidelines, 2012: security
 Comprehensive Strategy?
 EU: US as partner or Asia as partner?
Clinton Ashton Declaration, 2012
 EU credible actor? Crowded out?

 Defence
 Diplomacy
 Development
 Presence
 Partner
 Pivot

 No US style fleet
 ASEAN Regional Forum. Catherine Ashton?
 East Asia Summit
 EU conflict prevention, mediation (Aceh)

1.
hierarchy of policies - trade
2.
Hierarchy interlocutors – China
3.
hierarchy – and dominance – of national interests in Asia
Allocation of responsibilities across policy domains?
Policy consistency

Towards a Strategy: Coherence
1.
Policy & strategy
2.
Personality
3.
Task
One voice, vision, narrative?
 Norms
 Integration snobbery
 Perception of EU arrogance.
 Knowledge deficit
 Disparities