赴國外出差心得報告
為 執 行 「 歐 洲 統 合 的 全 球 身 份 認 同 ： 理 論 建 構 與 『 另 類 』 模 式 (NSC 97-2410-H-004-084-MY2)」計畫，本人前往德國首都柏林與英國首都倫敦兩地訪 問，拜訪此西歐兩大國的重要學術機構、智庫與學者進行訪談。
地點：
德國柏林 英國倫敦
訪問單位：
德國
柏林自由大學歐洲研究所 德國國際安全事務研究所(SWP) 德國外交政策智庫(DGAP) 德國外交部歐洲司
英國
英國倫敦政經學院(LSE) 倫敦大學亞非學院(SOAS) 英國皇家三軍聯合研究所(RUSI) 英國國際戰略研究所(IISS) 英國外交部亞太司
訪談紀要：
Based upon my intensive interviews with those scholars and officials conducted during my visit to Germany and the UK, I have drawn the following observations on which further academic findings have been developed.
The EU has long been portrayed as a normative and civilian power by projecting
2
its soft power within and without. By the means of culture, values and norms, the EU has continued to intensify its comprehensive engagement with its neighbouring areas and the outside world. The EU’s soft power has been widely perceived as its most appealing ‘weapon’ to assert its global power role. Europe’s drive to co-operate member states in the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) has received global recognition and its expanding interests in security and stability beyond its ‘near abroad’ reflect its efforts to find a proper role in accordance with the EU’s emerging global identity. The EU has become an influential world-wide actor, not necessarily through military force but through its ‘soft power’.
In addition to its ‘soft’ image and perception received by the outside world, the EU has also developed the ‘hard’ dimension of its power by delicately combining both the civilian and military capacities in a collective way in fulfilling a role that carries out preventive diplomacy, humanitarian rescue, conflict prevention and crisis management in areas of conflicts in its immediate neighbourhood and beyond. The EU has reinforced its capability in external policy by the creation of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) within the framework of CFSP. The promulgation of the first-ever European Security Strategy (ESS) has further substantiated EU’s global strategic arrangements at a time when the highly-interdependent globalisation has increased the importance of comprehensive security.
To be a global power and to promote its values and norms, the EU needs not only capabilities but also willingness and determination. The question as to whether the EU’s lack of collective hard power is the major obstacle towards its global power status is hotly debated. As a result, it seems that the EU can hardly exercise its influence beyond its immediate neighbourhood in an effective way. However, hard power is designed as a means to solve ‘hard security’ issues that occur only in very extreme occasions, while soft power can be forceful for most of the peace time.
Moreover, a combination of hard and soft power can equip the EU with even more leverage of persuasion.
Yet, the EU’s political influence in those areas beyond its immediate borders has so far remained that of a subsidiary player, not a global power as it should be. At a time when the importance of other regions and emerging powers like China is rapidly increasing and when the US hegemony is challenged, the EU’s engagement in various regions is pivotal for its own values and interests. Europe and other powers should be complementary global actors in pursuing a commitment to effective multilateralism
3
where all players involved, including the US, can benefit. The American regional and global strategic predominance may have to be maintained, but the EU and others have to take their own responsibilities to contribute to help maintain the security in areas concerned.
Despite its conventional apathy about the security situations in other areas, the EU has in the recent years paid attention to regions’ security and has found a role to play. The EU has to further its engagement in those areas by facilitating bilateral dialogue and peaceful resolution through initiatives from Europe. The EU should continue to encourage all parties to solve their problems peacefully and conduct pragmatic negotiations. Through the peace process, the EU can offer them its own experiences of mutual trust building by acting as a facilitator that can provide neutral agenda. Besides, the EU should promote its common values and norms in a way to help other societies transforming themselves to become a democracy which would guarantee the best interests of all actors around. Europe is capable of taking a lead role in pressing others to become a rising power whose behaviour will be in harmony with norms and values of a global civil society where the EU is the chief architect.
However, there are still some hurdles to EU’s commitment to regions’ affairs.
First, the EU must further familiarise itself with the opportunities and problems of other areas that are so complex and dynamic that it needs Europe to pay constant and sufficient attention to the fundamental evolutionary processes others are enduring.
The EU may have attached more importance to its relations with other regions, but a fuller understanding of the region requires Europeans to spare more efforts to a wide-range of issues concerning others’ developments.
Second, the EU has been widely perceived by others to have the lack of credibility as a united and coherent actor in dealing with global affairs. Many member states of the EU have long had traditional interests elsewhere and their common policy towards certain areas may not necessarily speak in one voice. They also have different agendas and interests in terms of major global affairs. The difference among the EU member states may hardly convince others that Europeans as a whole can be a reliable partner in dealing with security issues. If combined, the weight of the member states of the EU would make it an effective actor on the global stage.
Over all, other areas can be a test case for EU’s capability to act as a major global power by projecting its soft power and conducting a civilian dominated approach there, if the union has the willingness and determination. Looking around
4
the globe, there is no other actors like the EU who can provide the whole world with a model of peaceful transformation and shared prosperity. EU’s values, such as rule of law, good governance, human rights and democracy, will continue to be its own hallmark for the globe as a whole.
1