The Quest for a European Strategic Culture - Changing Norms on Security and Defence in the European Union

The European Union is shaping up to become a security and defence actor. The EU has already conducted missions in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. But without a European strategic culture, a fully-fledged defence policy is likely to fail because of incompatible and persistent national beliefs and norms about when, how, and for what ends military force can be used. This book explores whether national strategic cultures have become more similar in Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall. It examines how the rise of new threats, foreign crises, and new institutions have affected strategic thinking in Britain, Germany, France and Poland. Using a range of social science methods, the study reveals for the first time how strategic norms in these key countries have changed. It also explores the implications of the findings for the future of European defence. The study represents a major contribution to applied and empirically grounded constructivist approaches to international affairs and European integration. Reviews: 'Meyer's book is the first major study of European strategic culture to be published and as such merits serious reflection by scholars...he has trailblazed a highly productive and indicative theoretical-empirical approach to the understanding of this important concept' - Professor Jolyon Howorth in Security and Defence Policy in the European Union 'Meyer provides a timely and well researched picture of European strategic culture and ESDP potential, and is to be commended for his attempts at analysing the infinitely tougher connection between the two' - Amelia Hadfield, University of Kent in Journal of Common Market Studies 'Meyer's approach to the issue of the much-debated creation of a European strategic culture is important in that it enhances the adopted theoretical positions, and brings a rigorous and accurate input to the sometimes rather essayistic discussion...this is a very solid and accurate study that adds important theoretic and empirical inputs to the current discussion. Its ideas and arguments are solidly exposed and reveal a thorough approach to the issues of strategy, security and defence in the EU' - Bruno Martin in European Foreign Affairs Review

A European Strategic Culture in the Making?: Introducing a Constructivist Approach How do Strategic Cultures Change?: Three Mechanisms of Normative Change The Impact of Changing Threat Perceptions on Strategic Thinking in Europe after 1989 The Impact of Mediatised Crisis Learning on Collective Norms Social Influence through Institutions: The Case of the Political and Security Committee Do Europeans Think Alike About the Use of Force?: Synthesising and Theorising the Findings European Strategic Culture and the Prospects for European Defence Appendix