Emergent strategic culture and coexistence: can a CSDP based on lowest common denominator agreement be strategic?

TY - CONF

T1 - Emergent strategic culture and coexistence

T2 - UACES Annual Conference 'Exchanging Ideas on Europe'

AU - Sweeney, Simon

PY - 2013/9/2

Y1 - 2013/9/2

N2 - Strategic culture has undergone significant change since the end of the Cold War, embracing a new and comprehensive security concept (Norheim-Martinsen, 2011; Biava et al, 2011). The EU Common Security and Defence Policy may lack strategic coherence (Biscop, 2009; Biscop and Coelmont, 2010; Biscop and Norheim-Martinsen, 2011; Howorth, 2010) and it struggles to convince in terms of capability (Witney, 2008; Menon, 2009), but nevertheless it is operational and has made a significant contribution through 27 missions. The European Security Strategy (ESS) called on the Union to develop a strategic culture, and while this remains a work-in-progress, it is emerging in a novel form of coexistence with pre-existing member state strategic cultures, themselves in a state of flux. This paper uses evidence from interviews with ESDP/CSDP actors and experts to argue that the Union is developing a unique post-national strategic culture based on civilian/soft power and peacekeeping, accompanied by developing CIV-MIL cooperation. Security and defence cooperation tends to be on an issue-by-issue basis, an enduring feature of ESDP/CSDP. Military and civilian capability, and the lack of strategic focus are an unresolved weaknesses of ESDP/CSDP, and a lack of strategic actorness continues to undermine the coherence of the initiative. Nevertheless ESDP/CSDP has managed modest but by no means insignificant achievements. CSDP is marked by bureaucratic politics, and depends on both flexible application and tolerance of different perspectives as regards strategic culture. It is however frequently undermined by member states having different interests and until common interests are better articulated and prioritised the policy will not realise its potential to exercise significant influence on the contemporary security environment. The paper examines the emergence of an EU strategic culture arguing that that from deeply unpromising beginnings, the Union has edged towards a level of defence cooperation and even integration that little more than a decade ago seemed inconceivable. The paper suggests that the Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy is a manifestation of bureaucratic politics which may explain the lack of strategic coherence in the emergent strategic culture of the EU.

AB - Strategic culture has undergone significant change since the end of the Cold War, embracing a new and comprehensive security concept (Norheim-Martinsen, 2011; Biava et al, 2011). The EU Common Security and Defence Policy may lack strategic coherence (Biscop, 2009; Biscop and Coelmont, 2010; Biscop and Norheim-Martinsen, 2011; Howorth, 2010) and it struggles to convince in terms of capability (Witney, 2008; Menon, 2009), but nevertheless it is operational and has made a significant contribution through 27 missions. The European Security Strategy (ESS) called on the Union to develop a strategic culture, and while this remains a work-in-progress, it is emerging in a novel form of coexistence with pre-existing member state strategic cultures, themselves in a state of flux. This paper uses evidence from interviews with ESDP/CSDP actors and experts to argue that the Union is developing a unique post-national strategic culture based on civilian/soft power and peacekeeping, accompanied by developing CIV-MIL cooperation. Security and defence cooperation tends to be on an issue-by-issue basis, an enduring feature of ESDP/CSDP. Military and civilian capability, and the lack of strategic focus are an unresolved weaknesses of ESDP/CSDP, and a lack of strategic actorness continues to undermine the coherence of the initiative. Nevertheless ESDP/CSDP has managed modest but by no means insignificant achievements. CSDP is marked by bureaucratic politics, and depends on both flexible application and tolerance of different perspectives as regards strategic culture. It is however frequently undermined by member states having different interests and until common interests are better articulated and prioritised the policy will not realise its potential to exercise significant influence on the contemporary security environment. The paper examines the emergence of an EU strategic culture arguing that that from deeply unpromising beginnings, the Union has edged towards a level of defence cooperation and even integration that little more than a decade ago seemed inconceivable. The paper suggests that the Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy is a manifestation of bureaucratic politics which may explain the lack of strategic coherence in the emergent strategic culture of the EU.

KW - CSDP strategy strategic culture actorness bureaucratic politics

M3 - Paper

SP - 1

EP - 22

Y2 - 2 September 2013 through 4 September 2013

ER -