Speaker: Edward Stoddard – Website – University of Portsmouth

Discussant: Olivier Roy (EUI)

Academic Coordinator: Carlos Closa Montero (EUI)

Using examples from Europe and Eurasia, this session explored how regionalism has been used to respond both defensively and offensively to the threats and opportunities presented by different dimensions of global ‘power shift’ (power transition and power diffusion). It suggested that regional reactions to power shift can be explained by the geo-political position of regional powers and whether regional bodies comprise primarily open or closed politico-economic systems (‘open access orders’ or ‘limited access orders’). Power transition (power shifting from the ‘West’ to the ‘East’, and to a lesser extent, the global South) has presented a challenge for the EU’s geo-political/economic position to which it responds with policies (such as sanctions and augmented international investment protection) designed to defend its preferences and global position. By contrast, in a relatively ‘open’ Europe, power diffusion (power shifting from states to non-state actors) presents a mix of opportunities (such as the new digital economy) and challenges (such as terrorism) that elicit EU responses. In Eurasia, power transition presents both opportunities and threats that have impacted on regional outcomes. This is especially the case for Russia (and the Eurasian Economic Union), which finds itself between a weakened EU and a growing China. In terms of power diffusion in ‘limited access’ Eurasia, shifts from states to non-state actors have triggered largely defensive regional actions as leaders seek to protect their regimes from societal threats from below.