Strategic Communication in the Indo-Pacific

Signalling EU Naval Commitment to the Region

The European Union now regards the Indo-Pacific as being at the centre of contemporary geopolitical and security challenges. This has led to an increasing European presence in the region aimed, amongst others, at the protection of trade and the maintenance of international law. With a focus on naval strategy, this paper outlines how the EU’s policies towards the Indo-Pacific are an instance of foreign policy signalling. The EU’s three naval operations as well as the Coordinated Maritime Presence have so far signalled the bloc’s objective to be a global maritime security provider. For this to be effective, the EU must ensure the credibility of its activities. The paper analyses how this can be achieved, including in the Eastern part of the Indo-Pacific. It ends with policy recommendations for more effective signalling.

Author: 

Nicolas Blarel, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Institute of Political Science at Leiden University 

Niels van Willigen, Associate professor of international relations in the Institute of Political Science at Leiden University