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China, the EU and Latin America : current issues and future cooperation
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TheEU LatinAmericaandChina:GeometricalPatternsinCurrentandFutureRelations 55 Lastbutnotleast theeconomiccrisisweareinthemiddleofwill certainlyhaveanimpactonallactorsandwillredefinemanyoftheserelationsin termsofprioritiesandscopeofaction.Atpresent theneedforcooperationis obvious.However itdoesnotseem tobetakingplaceas mighthavebeen expected regardlessoftherecentlyacquiredprofileoftheG20anditspotential tobecomethebasisofanewinternationalfinancialarchitecture.Upuntilnow boththeEUandtheUSAseemtohavebeenhardesthitbythecrisisandthat hasbeggedthequestionoftheirabilitytoremainatthehelmoftheinternational order.However thereisstillhope.Jean Monnet thefatheroftheEuropean integrationprocess oncesaidthatcrisescanmakepeopledowhattheywould notdootherwise.Canthatbethecasethistimearound 3.犉狅狌狉犐犿狆狅狉狋犪狀狋犃犮狋狅狉狊犻狀狋犺犲犐狀狋犲狉狀犪狋犻狅狀犪犾犛狔狊狋犲犿 3.1 TheEuropean Union:A TroubledProcessandanInternationalActorin theMaking TheEuropean Unionhaschangeddramaticallyinrecentyears notonly becauseofitsenlargementtotheeast whichhascertainlyhadaneffectonits foreignpolicypriorities butalsobecauseofthetroublesexperiencedbythe integrationprocessitselfinthe wakeoftheconstitutionaldebacleandthe traumaticapprovaloftheLisbonTreaty.Today theseverityoftheeconomic crisisisprovingtobeatoughtestforthemostadvancedintegrationschemein theworld.Despitetheadvancesineconomicintegration theGreekdebaclehas pushedtheEUontotheropes revealingthatthisimportanteconomicactorstill hasalongwaytogointermsofeconomicgovernanceandthatevenitsmost basicprinciplesaremootwhenshortterminterestsareatstake.Itishardto imaginehowtheinnovationsoftheLisbonTreatywithregardtoforeignpolicy willbeabletoovercomethesechallengesbythemselvesandtomaketheEUa strongandcoherentinternationalactor. Inrecentyears astheworldunderwentaperiodofrecalcitrantrealismin internationalaffairspromotedbytheBushadministration Europewasunableto takeadvantageofthesituationtopositionitself notasanalternativebutasa wiservoicethatcouldguidethereformofinternationalinstitutions.TheUnions ownissuesvisvisitsinternationalrelationspreventitfrombeingtheworld poweritshouldbe. Evenworse theEUislosinggroundontheinternationalstage.Regardless ofitsbeingthelargest marketinthe world itisbeingsaid moreand more frequentlythatEuropewillbealessimportantplayerintheworldtocome