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With friends like this' : European Engagement in Asian Autocratization
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Florence : European University Institute, 2025
EUI; STG; Master Thesis
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POVSE, Max, With friends like this’ : European Engagement in Asian Autocratization, Florence : European University Institute, 2025, EUI, STG, Master Thesis - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/93863
Abstract
Europe, as the world’s most democratic region, positions democracy promotion as a central pillar of its foreign policy. However, its actions in the face of overt autocratization often reveal a gap between democratic rhetoric and the actual measures implemented to support democratic resilience abroad. This is especially clear in Asia, where European engagement frequently sidesteps democratic principles, tacitly legitimizing authoritarian regimes and illiberal and populist leaders in backsliding democracies. This paper examines how, by failing to prioritize democratic criteria in economic, political, and diplomatic engagement, Europe may unintentionally undermine local efforts for democratic resilience and contribute to an environment conducive to autocratization in Asia. Focusing on East, South, and Southeast Asia, it assesses the extent and impact of European support, whether direct or indirect, on the persistence and consolidation of autocratizing regimes. To do so, it employs Qualitative Comparative Analysis, analyzing European engagement mechanisms and coding for types of economic support, political legitimization, and the quality of the political regimes across Asian cases from 2014 to 2024. Based on the findings, it concludes by proposing policies to democracy-proof current European engagement mechanisms in Asia and effectively deter further autocratization through them.
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Award date: 13 June 2025
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Claudius Wagemann (European University Institute)
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Claudius Wagemann (European University Institute)