The European Union: Towards a strategic culture?

The vigorous debate addressing the potential of the European Union's security and defence policy is indicative of high hopes and severe policy problems. This article examines the likelihood that EU member-states will develop the strategic culture-reflecting common interests and views of the world-that can be said to be a precondition for a successful security and defence policy. The article first investigates the EU's predominant values and the reigning conception of the legitimate use of military force, and it then weighs this political potential of the security and defence policy against obstacles to unity: the 'postmodern' complexity of multilevel governance coupled with the necessity of 'modern' executive authority to undertake military coercion, as illustrated by the recent fight against global terrorism. In the light of the conclusion that the EU does not have the potential to construct a strong strategic culture, the article suggests steps the EU could take to safeguard liberal achievements in its history of integration while also enabling strategic military action by groups of countries sharing a particular view of the world, an interest in a particular conflict, or both.