Defence Policy: Temporal and Spatial Differentiation within Reformed Bandwagoning

Abstract

Post-Cold War European cooperation in defence displays significant spatial differentiation. The borders of cooperation in matters of ‘hard’ security are defined by Russian power in the east.¹ At the same time, a diverse set of intergovernmental arrangements have arisen within these territorial boundaries (Tables 22.4 and 22.5). They include ‘à la carte’, ‘variable-geometry’ and ‘multiple-speed’ initiatives in joint military capability procurement programmes and the crossnational generation of crisis-management forces. However, the main institutions of European security, the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) and NATO, display stronger complementarity in membership.² Apart from Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Malta and Sweden, all EU states are members of NATO.3 Of the 24 European NATO members, only Denmark,⁴ Turkey and Norway are not full participants in ESDP (see Table 22.1).