EU’s Role in Strengthening Secondary Powers in the Indo-Pacific Amid US Leadership Uncertainties
Cover Image, Indo-Pacific Outlooks: Implications for the EU-ASEAN Relationship and Italy’s Role in Southeast Asia
In an article for the Torino World Affairs Institute’s Indo-Pacific Outlooks, Pongphisoot Paul Busbarat and Thanawit Wangpuchakane argue that the EU can play an indispensable role in reinforcing the agency of Indo-Pacific secondary powers, such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, and ASEAN. Through a series of cooperative, inclusive, multilateral frameworks, the EU can help maintain the liberal order, stabilizing the region at a time of a growing leadership vacuum in the Indo-Pacific.
The Indo-Pacific region has long been characterized by a delicate balance of power, underpinned by U.S. leadership and a commitment to liberal multilateralism. Following the end of World War II, the United States provided security guarantees, promoted free trade, and helped establish regional institutions that collectively sustained peace and prosperity. Yet, over the past decade, this leadership has become increasingly erratic. Under administrations such as Donald Trump’s, and even partially continuing under Joe Biden’s, U.S. foreign policy has tilted toward unilateralism, transactionalism, and domestic preoccupations. This trend has created a growing leadership vacuum in the Indo-Pacific.
Simultaneously, China’s ascendancy as a major regional power has not filled this void adequately. Despite its remarkable economic rise and growing political influence, China continues to suffer from a legitimacy deficit in political and security domains. Its assertive actions, particularly in the South China Sea, along with fears of a revisionist agenda, have stoked unease among its neighbors. As a result, many Indo-Pacific states remain wary of China’s intentions and are reluctant to embrace its leadership.
This emerging leadership gap raises a critical question: without a strong commitment of American leadership in the region and the world, how can the Indo-Pacific maintain its regional order, stability, and prosperity? This chapter contends that secondary powers—those with substantial regional influence but lacking hegemonic capabilities—such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, including regional institutions like ASEAN – are essential to filling this power vacuum. Importantly, other like-minded stakeholders, like the European Union (EU), also share common strategic interests.
The central argument of this article is that the EU, though geographically distant, can play an indispensable role in reinforcing the agency of Indo-Pacific secondary powers. By strengthening multilateral institutions, enhancing regional resilience, and promoting inclusive cooperation frameworks, the EU can help maintain the liberal order. This approach is grounded in neoliberal institutionalism, which asserts that cooperative international structures can persist even amid hegemonic decline. As this chapter will demonstrate, by deepening partnerships and promoting regional norms, the EU has the potential to become a critical stabilizer in the Indo-Pacific.
