Adopted in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ‘Strategic Compass’ has been presented as the European Union’s guide to shore up security and defence cooperation between the member states. The Indo-Pacific, which was presented in last year’s regional strategy as the world’s main theatre of geopolitical and geoeconomic competition gets a few mentions but appears almost as an afterthought. Is this a reflection of the EU’s self-perception as a regional actor, rather than a global player? If not, how then can the EU secure its interests in the Indo-Pacific through military means?
