Introduction to Eurasia Dispatch
Just so you know what you signed up for
Welcome aboard!
Eurasia Dispatch is a weekly newsletter providing policymakers, scholars, students, researchers, as well as business actors, with data-informed insights and analysis on key events shaping Europe-Asia relations. Rather than competing with news outlets in speed or quantity, Eurasia Dispatch adds value by providing analysis about events: their historical context, rationale, and implications.
Occasionally, the newsletter will be supplemented with an in-depth analysis of a specific issue, such as trade frictions, Ukraine, or the EU-China-India triangle. These analytical pieces will often feature manually compiled datasets based on public sources.
There are excellent newsletters out there discussing Eurasian events, so what is different here?
First and foremost is the analytical framework. The analyses are predicated on principles developed during years spent working on EU-China relations—both in practice and research:
The EU relationship is a key priority for external powers, given Brussels’ major power status. While it cannot singlehandedly shape the course of international affairs like the U.S. or China, the EU can shift the balance of power by choosing sides. For this reason, great powers seek to make sure that the EU’s stance is aligned with their interests. For example, the US often aims to recruit the EU into an alignment vis-à-vis China, while Beijing staunchly supports the EU’s strategic autonomy to prevent the formation of said alignment.
The EU has yet to make up its mind about what kind of power it is going to be. Buzzwords like ‘Geopolitical Commission’, ‘strategic autonomy’, ‘de-risking’ suggest that the EU strives to chart its path in international relations rather than following other actors. Nevertheless, it is unclear what this exactly means in the military, political, and economic realms.
Second, structural consistency. The EU is a complex actor that engages with China via multiple channels. To cut through the fog, the newsletter details EU-China developments in four channels of interaction every week: EU institutions, member states, businesses, and commentaries.
Although Eurasia covers a vast territory, for now, Eurasia Dispatch will focus on the main developments between the EU and China, as that is where the author’s expertise lies. Depending on the events of a given week, news relating to the US, Russia, and India may be included as well. Feel free to send an email if you would like to relay feedback or you want to contribute to the newsletter in the form of a special issue.
Thank you for your support and interest in a fact-based, analytical column on Eurasian affairs.
Disclaimer: I manage this Substack account independently, in my personal capacity. The views expressed are my own and do not represent the views of my affiliated institutions.