The bear and the EU-China-US triangle: Transatlantic and Russian influences on EU’s “pivot to Asia”
This article argues that in the case of the EU’s efforts to undertake a “Pivot to Asia”, added explanatory salience can be achieved by recognising firstly the importance of the transatlantic factor and the US’ own rebalance policies. Secondly, based on a model where the USA is regarded as a significant variable in the EU-China relationship, one may more saliently discern the influence of Russia by assessing its impact on the triangular EU-China-US relationship, both directly and indirectly. Addressing these issues in European policymaking, the article will be constituted of two main parts. In the first section, the triangular nature of European foreign policies towards China is introduced, addressing the transatlantic factor in EU-China relations. Based on research on the European policy debates on EU’s Asia policies and the American Pivot to Asia, the section will illustrate the degree to which EU policy initiatives are conceived as playing out on a range from cooperation to competition with the US’ rebalance initiatives. In the second section, the chapter will proceed to investigate a factor that is affecting, although to different degrees, all three corners of the triangular political context in which European China policies are being shaped, namely the effects of recent Russian actions in the Eurasian theatre. The analysis demonstrates how European policymakers struggle to define their place in the EU-China-US triangle. The dynamics of the ongoing Asian power shift highlights the dilemmas for the European continent, as it seeks to balance its relations in a shifting geopolitical landscape.
The Chinese story: Historical narratives as a tool in China’s Africa policy
The rise of China as a key actor on the African continent not only challenges the Western dominance in economic and political terms, Beijing is increasingly also offering a challenge on a different level, by contesting the Eurocentric history that has underpinned the West’s policies towards African countries throughout the modern era. In order to bolster the Sino-African relationship, this article argues that Beijing is propagating towards African publics a range of historical narratives about African history and the Sino-African relationship. Developing and testing a theoretical framework for analysing these historical narratives, the research finds that this Chinese history of Africa represents China’s recent actions on the African continent as incarnations of a long historical tradition of friendship and anti-colonial support, thus serving the role of legitimizing Chinese policies as well as delegitimizing Western powers’ economic and political strategies.
Et usikkert nett av ting
Hvordan vet du at den nye TV-en din – med innebygd kamera – er sikker? Torsdag gjestet Madeline Carr NUPI for å snake om The Internet of Things.
– Støtteverdig forbud mot atomvåpen
Sverre Lodgaard har sett nærmere på muligheter og begrensninger ved de forhandlingene som nå pågår.
En grønn fremtid – risiko og muligheter
NUPI samarbeider med IRENA og universitetene Columbia og Harvard.
Teoriseminar: Co‐Managing International Crises: Judgements and Justifications
Dette er tittelen på den nye boka til Markus Kronprobst, professor i internasjonale relasjonar ved Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. Han besøkjer NUPI for å presentere funna han har gjort.
Nytt nummer av Forum for Development Studies
Hva er nytt og annerledes ved utvikling i en stadig mer globalisert virkelighet?
Preventing Violent Conflict
NUPI skal analysere hvordan forholdet mellom eksterne aktører og lokale politiske aktører påvirker konflikt forebygging....
SkattJakten fortsetter
Skattjakt-perioden forlenges og går nå over i SkattJakt II. I den nye perioden utvides også nettverket, og for SkattJakt II har vi fått med oss Tax Justice Network Norge (TJN-Norge) på laget. Fremover skal nettverket samarbeide om flere spennende arrangementer.
Serbia, Vest-Balkan og EU: Har utviklinga stoppa?
Kva er årsakene til sviktande EU-driv i Serbia og Vest-Balkan? Er den krigsrette retorikken brukt av dei politiske elitane støtta av folket? Kva er utsiktene for demokrati og stabilitet etter presidentvalet 2. april 2017?