The foreign policy statements of the European Union (EU) have long been positioning it as a global normative power. Yet, its ability to “Europeanize” international affairs has rarely been examined outside of the EU enlargement framework. In this respect, the EU’s initiatives in Asia offer a relevant context for the consideration of its global outreach. In order to examine whether the EU has been able to catalyze the global relevance of its normative power, this study undertakes a parallel assessment of its engagement with the countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan. The suggestion is that the cultural instincts of the EU’s normative power entrap its agency in Central Asia and Afghanistan and make it difficult for Brussels to develop a coherent strategy not only in the region, but also in Asia.

中文翻译：

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欧亚大陆中部的欧盟：仍在寻找战略

欧盟（EU）的外交政策声明长期以来一直将其定位为全球规范力量。然而，其将国际事务“欧洲化”的能力很少在欧盟扩大框架之外受到审查。在这方面，欧盟在亚洲的举措为考虑其全球外展提供了相关背景。为了检验欧盟是否能够促进其规范力量的全球相关性，本研究对其与中亚和阿富汗国家的接触进行了平行评估。建议是，欧盟规范权力的文化本能将其机构困在中亚和阿富汗，使布鲁塞尔难以在该地区乃至亚洲制定连贯的战略。