Re-Orienting the Fundamentals: Human Rights and New Connections in EU-Asia Relations

Georg Wiessala

Apr 2016 · Routledge

About this ebook

Offering an investigation of the ways in which matters of human rights give shape to the European Union's interaction with Asia, this volume argues for the consideration of selected social-constructivist perspectives with regard to the Asia-EU dialogue. It puts into context the function of ideas, identities, values, norms and human rights. Through a number of country-specific and regional case studies, the text examines both the 'enabling' and the 'inhibitory' potential of human rights in the Union's relations with Asian interlocutors. The book proposes a more inclusive, holistic understanding of the significance and potential of the human rights discourse in East-West contacts. It is aimed at a wide readership from the disciplines of politics, international relations, Asian studies, law and human rights.

About the author

Dr Georg Wiessala is a Reader in International Relations at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK, where he teaches on both Politics and Criminology Programmes. His main research interests lie in the areas of EU Foreign Policy Analysis, EU-Asia Relations, Human Rights and Asia-Europe Educational Exchange. He has worked as a Visiting Scholar in Europe, Thailand, Singapore and New Zealand and makes regular contributions to European Training Programmes on the European Union's Asia Policies.