ABSTRACT

In Central Asia the European Union (EU) positions itself as a benign and gentle actor with no geopolitical intentions. But is this self-prescribed image of a ‘force for good’ shared by Central Asians? To answer this question, the article scrutinizes whether the EU is perceived as posing a threat to or offering an opportunity in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Theoretically it is argued that the EU cannot unilaterally claim a certain role in the region; rather, perceptions held by Central Asians partly determine what kind of actor the EU can be and what kind of policies it can successfully implement. The article finds that opportunity/threat perceptions are highly issue specific. Depending on a particular issue area, the EU’s image may change from that of an opportunity to a threat, or vice versa. Yet, the opportunity aspect visibly prevails in both countries, which can be regarded as the EU’s comparative advantage vis-à-vis other actors in the region.

摘要

在中亚，欧盟 (EU) 将自己定位为一个没有地缘政治意图的温和温和的行为体。但是，这种自我规定的“向善的力量”形象是否为中亚人所共有？为了回答这个问题，本文仔细研究了欧盟是否被视为对哈萨克斯坦和吉尔吉斯斯坦构成威胁或提供机会。从理论上讲，欧盟不能单方面要求在该地区发挥某种作用；相反，中亚人的看法在一定程度上决定了欧盟可以扮演什么样的角色，以及它可以成功实施什么样的政策。文章发现机会/威胁感知是高度特定于问题的。根据特定的问题领域，欧盟的形象可能会从机遇变为威胁，反之亦然。然而，