The European Union in Central Eurasia: still searching for strategy

The foreign policy statements of the European Union (EU) have long been positioning it as a global normative power. Yet, its ability to “Europeanize” international affairs has rarely been examined outside of the EU enlargement framework. In this respect, the EU’s initiatives in Asia offer a relevant context for the consideration of its global outreach. In order to examine whether the EU has been able to catalyze the global relevance of its normative power, this study undertakes a parallel assessment of its engagement with the countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan. The suggestion is that the cultural instincts of the EU’s normative power entrap its agency in Central Asia and Afghanistan and make it difficult for Brussels to develop a coherent strategy not only in the region, but also in Asia.