Values Under Pressure: The EU’s Struggle for Influence in Post-Coup Myanmar

This paper examines how the European Union has responded to Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, tracing the evolution of its foreign policy in a rapidly shifting regional environment. It looks at the EU’s attempt to reconcile its long-standing commitments to democracy and human rights with the pragmatic constraints of Southeast Asian geopolitics. Drawing on official policy documents, public statements, and regional analyses, the paper follows the Union’s use of sanctions, the suspension of development aid, and efforts to coordinate diplomatically with ASEAN. While Brussels acted quickly to denounce the coup and to support democratic actors, its influence on the ground has remained limited. The study argues that the EU’s reliance on multilateral consensus, coupled with its modest leverage in the region, has curbed the impact of its response. The Myanmar case underscores the wider tension between Europe’s normative ambitions and the non-interference norms that define regional diplomacy. Additionally, it offers a revealing test of how far the EU can still project values-based influence in a world marked by waning Western authority and a stronger Chinese presence in Southeast Asia.