Abstract
Normative power can be defined as the ability to govern interdependencies by means of rules, regimes and compliance strategies. This paper presents two case studies in security governance—international responsibility to protect in Sudan and counter-proliferation policies towards Iran’s nuclear programme—to evaluate the degree of normative convergence between China and Europe. It concludes that there are still major differences between Europe and China on employing normative strategies in security governance but that both modes of governance and identities as security actors are mobile so that the trend is towards convergence, albeit with some distance still to travel.
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Notes
In this paper, the authors use the term Europe to mean both the European Union and the member states of the European Union. Wherever we mean one of these but not the other this is indicated.
A Security Council resolution that called for immediate halt to fighting between Sudan and South Sudan and in the event that any or all of the parties have not complied with its decisions, “to take appropriate additional measures under Article 41 of the Charter as necessary”, referring to the Article on sanctions.
This paper was written before the breakthrough in the E3/EU + 3 and Iran negotiations leading to the Joint Plan of Action announced 24 November 2013 (EEAS 2013). There is an attempt to bring the analysis up to date as of end 2013, but most of the discussion refers to the period prior to the agreement.
E3/EU + 3 means the European consortium of the UK, France, Germany and the European External Action Service plus the remaining permanent members of the Security Council—America, Russia and China. Elsewhere, the term P5 + 1 is sometimes used, which diminishes the role the EEAS has played in convening the negotiations.
This is debated by John Garver (2011) who concludes that from “circumstantial evidence” the charge of a dual game is correct.
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Kerr, D., Xu, Y. Europe, China and security governance: is there evidence of normative convergence?. Asia Eur J 12, 79–93 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10308-014-0371-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10308-014-0371-0