Over the last decade, the global economic and strategic balance has been shifting eastwards. Asia is the largest and the most populous continent, with China and India alone already accounting for one-third of the global population. Asia is home to some of the world’s most dynamic and fastest growing economies, but also to some most complex security hotspots. From tensions on the Korean Peninsula to maritime territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas, there are a number of issues which have the potential to spark more serious conflict. The rise of China is affecting the balance of power in the region, and has resulted in increased competition with the US for influence. This is also increasingly visible in the Indian Ocean, which has become a new theatre of strategic competition between China and India. While there are various multilateral cooperative mechanisms in the region, such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) or the East Asia Summit, their capacity to address such security issues remains limited.
As a key trading partner of many Asian economies, the EU has a major stake in regional stability, as well as in the security of its Sea Lanes of Communication. Since announcing its ‘pivot to Asia’ in 2012, Brussels has been trying to step up its security role in Asia by boosting cooperation with its various Strategic Partners, as well as through existing multilateral fora. The EUISS has been working to support these efforts by providing relevant expertise and analysis and conducting research in domains that have the potential to enhance regional stability and raise the EU’s security profile. Key areas of focus are maritime security and governance, preventive diplomacy, confidence and capacity building, crisis prevention, multilateralism, regional integration and institution building.
The first in the EUISS series ‘Along the road’, which will examine the security implications of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), this Brief looks at how the debt trap Sri Lanka found itself in may provide some useful lessons learned. What are the domestic and regional...
This Brief sets the stage for an upcoming EUISS series entitled ' Along the road', which will examine the security implications of China’s Belt and Road (BRI) connectivity project. Through a collection of case studies from infrastructure projects and countries situated ‘Along the...
This Report turns the spotlight on two major players in the global defence industry: Russia and China. It examines how both countries, however different in their trajectory and ambition, have in recent years narrowed the industrial and technological gap with the European...
This Report - the outcome of a dedicated EUISS Task Force - seeks to decipher what kind of global actor we can expect China to be, given its growing international profile and ambitions. What do current trends indicate regarding the direction of its future foreign and security...
This Alert focuses on the new South Korean President's efforts to pursue a policy of re-engagement with Pyongyang, and assesses to what extent this approach has chances of success, given the paucity of other diplomatic options.
This Alert examines how Chinese-financed infrastructure projects in the Western Balkans often serve as a conduit for China’s political and normative influence, exacerbating both the high levels of corruption and governance problems that exist in the region.
This Brief presents an overview of the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL Afghanistan) – analysing the difficulties and challenges that the Mission faced from the time it was launched in 2007 until its closure in 2016. The Brief also identifies several ‘lessons...
The fourth edition of the EUISS Security Monthly Stats (SMS) looks at the issue of food security and famines. What countries are most at risk? And how is the international community responding?
This Report presents a number of grey swan scenarios which are designed to help decision-makers think about possible responses to crises and how they can be prevented.
This Report, which draws on the main presentations made during the 2016 CSCAP EU Committee meeting devoted to this topic, examines the role of the EU as a preventive diplomacy actor and explores how in pursuing this strategy it can contribute positively to security in the Indo...
