European Defence-Lite: Why European Defence is Less about Defence and More About Politics

European defence should be understood, also, as a pawn in the game between the major EU partners to secure a leading place in the Union’s power hierarchy.

One of the primary reasons for the split between Europeans over the war in Iraq was the major European players’ need to maximise their influence in the new Europe. The debate brought to the fore the fact that Spain has emerged as a coherent force that could prevent a tri-rectoire of the big three from determining the EU’s strategic direction. Furthermore, EU enlargement should ensure that closeness to the US remains a pre-requisite of effective security and defence.