The scramble for Europe : Russia, China, and Turkey challenging regional order
Description
Dimitar BECHEV. The scramble for Europe : Russia, China, and Turkey challenging regional order. New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2026, viii, 211p.
Europe used to be an agenda-setter at the global and regional level but now in on the backfoot, facing multiple outside pressures: e.g. from Trump's US, Russia and China. Internally, rising populism is undermining EU's cohesion and international influence. The book traces the consolidation and, starting from the late 2000s, the subsequent crisis of the European regional order anchored in the EU. It argues that authoritarian powers such as Russia, China and Turkey are posing a direct challenge to the latter as they seek to remake Europe in their image. At the same time, their objectives differ. The Ukraine invasion put on display Russia's radical revisionist agenda. China by contrast aims to co-opt through largely economic means a diminished Europe in a future world order it dominates. Erdogan's Turkey wants to strike a deal where it is recognised as a top-tier stakeholder in Europe, as opposed to an eternal candidate for EU membership. The book discusses Europe (EU, its member states and the UK) response to outside challenges: containment - investing into military power to deter Russia, resilience - strengthening institutions and deepening markets to compete with China (and perhaps US), and co-optation - relaunching enlargement and engaging with neighbours including Turkey - to build up its defences.
Europe used to be an agenda-setter at the global and regional level but now in on the backfoot, facing multiple outside pressures: e.g. from Trump's US, Russia and China. Internally, rising populism is undermining EU's cohesion and international influence. The book traces the consolidation and, starting from the late 2000s, the subsequent crisis of the European regional order anchored in the EU. It argues that authoritarian powers such as Russia, China and Turkey are posing a direct challenge to the latter as they seek to remake Europe in their image. At the same time, their objectives differ. The Ukraine invasion put on display Russia's radical revisionist agenda. China by contrast aims to co-opt through largely economic means a diminished Europe in a future world order it dominates. Erdogan's Turkey wants to strike a deal where it is recognised as a top-tier stakeholder in Europe, as opposed to an eternal candidate for EU membership. The book discusses Europe (EU, its member states and the UK) response to outside challenges: containment - investing into military power to deter Russia, resilience - strengthening institutions and deepening markets to compete with China (and perhaps US), and co-optation - relaunching enlargement and engaging with neighbours including Turkey - to build up its defences.