Europe—Asia: The Historical Limits of a ‘Soft’ Relationship

Abstract

It has now been more than a decade since Europe—Asia relations took off with some fanfare, as the first Asia—Europe Meeting (ASEM) convened in Bangkok in March 1996. Until that event, Europe—Asian relations, historically dependent on the relationships of the colonial era, had paled in the post-colonial period. Not only had the United States, during the Roosevelt era of the Second World War and its aftermath, effectively displaced the Old World as the leading western presence in East and Southeast Asia, but it had also inherited the Wilsonian policy of favouring independence over colonial ties. Partly to fight Japan, partly out of genuine belief, the United States created lasting relationships with many of Asia’s new elites after the Second World War, while these very same elites sought to distance themselves from the old colonial powers. It is therefore useful to gauge the progress in the Asia—Europe relationship by the same yardstick we might apply to the relationship that exists between Asia and the United States.