Advertisement
How Belarus’ brazen plane diversion reflects the EU’s struggle to act as a global power
- If the world’s third-largest economy is to shake off its ‘hobbled giant’ image, it must act more consistently on major foreign policy issues such as relations with China
- The swift retaliation against Belarus does offer an opportunity to become more effective – if it can maintain a united front
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
3
Last Sunday, a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius (two EU capitals) was forced to land in Belarus on the pretext that there was a bomb on board. People on the plane were forced to disembark, the most noteworthy being an outspoken critic of the Lukashenko regime, the journalist Roman Protasevich. He is now in detention and faces an uncertain future.
Advertisement
Such an act is not unprecedented. The United States and its allies have a history of diverting foreign aircraft if they suspect people of interest are on board. For instance, in 2013, the plane of then Bolivian president Evo Morales was forced to land in Austria on suspicion that Edward Snowden was on board.
But what is surprising about Belarus’ actions is that this is a brazen act by a much smaller power against a much larger one (the EU). It serves to show that, when it comes to international relations, the EU rarely garners international respect.
On paper, the EU should be considered a behemoth in international relations. With a single market that is the world’s third-largest economy, it has often been characterised as a power through trade. In addition, its soft power resources are considerable and its hard security is underpinned by the Nato alliance.
Advertisement
Yet, the EU remains the proverbial “hobbled giant”. Commentators have predicted that it would emerge as a third superpower alongside the US and China, but such an outcome seems unlikely.
Advertisement