This Master thesis in the field of International Relations deals with the emergence of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) and its institutional ties with the North-Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), as defined in the so-called Berlin Plus Agreements. Between European autonomisation and US control through NATO, the thesis explores the conditions of ESDP's formation in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In doing so, it refers to changes in the international system, domestic developments and institutional design; it concludes that ESDP will probably continue on the path of autonomisation, given the circumvention of Berlin Plus and NATO in later missions, and given differing European and US interests in a changing world.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Reflections on theory, philosophy of science, and methods
2.1 Puzzlement, causal mechanisms, and inductive process-tracing
2.2 Constructivism vs. rationalism?
2.3 ESDP as part of European integration
3 The new security agenda as a catalyst
3.1 Sovereignty and intervention revisited: changes in international law
3.1.1 Building consensus on intervention after the Cold war
3.1.2 Kosovo: outside the limits of consensus
3.1.3 The current state of consensus: responsibility to protect
3.2 The EU responds
4 Opening black boxes
4.1 The United Kingdom: governmental and policy change
4.1.1 British preference change on Europe
4.1.1.1 The Major government
4.1.1.2 The Blair government
4.1.2 The mechanism that led to St. Malo
4.1.2.1 New causal ideas as road maps
4.1.2.2 The impact of an epistemic community
4.1.2.3 The catalytic effect of the Kosovo crisis
4.1.3 A mechanism within the mechanism
4.2 The United States: burden-sharing and leadership
4.2.1 The Kosovo war
4.2.2 The incoming Bush administration
5 Toward Concordia
5.1 The path of partial Europeanisation
5.2 Berlin Plus
5.2.1 The negotiations
5.2.2 Problems, perspectives and prospects
5.2.2.1 Different purposes and perceptions
5.2.2.2 Implementation
5.2.2.3 Future
6 Conclusion
7 References
Research Objectives and Themes
This thesis examines the emergence of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) and its subsequent cooperation with NATO. It aims to explain why and how the European Union, traditionally a civilian actor, transitioned into an actor capable of conducting military missions, specifically focusing on the causal mechanisms behind these institutional developments and their link to transatlantic security relations.
- The role of ideational shifts in international law regarding humanitarian intervention as a catalyst for ESDP.
- The impact of internal governmental change and preference shifts in the United Kingdom on European security policy.
- The influence of epistemic communities and external crises, such as the Kosovo war, on policy formation.
- The dynamics of EU-NATO cooperation, particularly the institutionalization of the Berlin Plus agreements.
- The tension between autonomy, burden-sharing, and leadership in transatlantic relations.
Excerpt from the Book
Opening black boxes
If the shifts in the ideational foundations of the international system rendered a European security policy possible, they did not directly trigger it in an inevitable way. Political will, or at least acceptance, was necessary on the part of interested states. Two cases which merit closer examination are the United States and the United Kingdom. The United States’ approval of a partly autonomous European security policy is puzzling from a power politics standpoint because it might jeopardise the position of NATO, which is the key to American influence in Europe; the British approval is puzzling from a historical viewpoint, because it was them who constantly worked against the establishment of a European security policy outside NATO, until the dramatic policy change of St. Malo 1998.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Introduces the emergence of ESDP as a central turning point in European security, highlighting the paradox of the EU transitioning from a civilian to a military actor.
2 Reflections on theory, philosophy of science, and methods: Outlines the theoretical framework, arguing for a multifaceted approach using causal mechanisms and process-tracing to explain the development of ESDP.
3 The new security agenda as a catalyst: Traces how changes in international norms and law regarding humanitarian intervention and the "responsibility to protect" acted as a catalyst for the EU's military development.
4 Opening black boxes: Investigates domestic preference shifts in the UK and the US, explaining how these political changes facilitated the "lift-off" of the ESDP and the institutionalization of cooperation with NATO.
5 Toward Concordia: Details the negotiations and implementation of the Berlin Plus agreements, examining the challenges, Turko-Greek blockades, and the eventual realization of the EU mission in Macedonia.
6 Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, confirming that the emergence of ESDP was driven by ideational changes, institutional path-dependency, and specific state preferences.
Keywords
European Security and Defence Policy, ESDP, NATO, Berlin Plus, European integration, humanitarian intervention, transatlantic relations, United Kingdom, St. Malo, causal mechanisms, process-tracing, burden-sharing, Macedonia, Concordia, sovereignty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental subject of this thesis?
The thesis explores the emergence of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) and explains how the European Union developed the capacity to conduct military missions, as well as its institutionalized relationship with NATO.
What are the central themes of the research?
Key themes include the impact of international ideational changes (such as norms of humanitarian intervention), the influence of domestic politics in the UK and US, institutional path-dependency, and the complexities of transatlantic burden-sharing.
What is the primary objective of this work?
The main objective is to reconstruct the causal process that led the EU to become a military actor, specifically explaining why the first EU-led military mission in Macedonia occurred when it did and how it involved NATO.
Which scientific methods were applied?
The author utilizes a qualitative approach based on "puzzlement," employing causal mechanisms and inductive process-tracing to analyze how social and political factors led to the emergence of ESDP.
What topics are addressed in the main part of the book?
The main body covers the theoretical framework, the shift in international security agendas, the internal policy changes within the UK and the US (including the Blair government's role), and the complex negotiations regarding the Berlin Plus agreements.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The work is defined by terms such as ESDP, NATO, European integration, humanitarian intervention, causal mechanisms, and transatlantic relations.
How does the author analyze the British policy shift at St. Malo?
The author argues that a shift in domestic preferences following the 1997 election, combined with the advocacy of a small epistemic community and the urgency created by the Kosovo crisis, led the Blair government to pursue a more pro-European security stance.
What role does "Berlin Plus" play in the thesis?
Berlin Plus is analyzed as an institutional framework that provides the EU with access to NATO assets, serving as a critical, albeit complex and sometimes cumbersome, mechanism for EU-led operations.
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- Frank Stadelmaier (Autor:in), 2006, On the emergence of ESDP and EU-NATO cooperation, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/72140
