Sven Biscop

Oscar Jonsson

Frank Bekkers

Sten Rynning

Jolyon Howorth

Giovanni Faleg

Tom Dyson

Tomas Weiss

Alessandro Marrone

Jacek Bartosiak

Daniel Fiott

Nick Witney

Simon J. Smith

Benoît Gomis

Olivier de France

Hilmar Linnenkamp

Ronja Kempin

Falk Tettweiler

The Amazing Strategic Orchestra of Belgian Defence

Enrique Fojon

Enrique Mora

Felix Arteaga

Manuel Muniz

Francisco de Borja Lasheras

Antonios Nestoras

Edgars Kiukucans

Dominik P. Jankowski

Ton van Osch

Carlos Branco

Margiris Abukevicius

Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen

Vivien Pertusot

Dick Zandee

Jo Coelmont

Alexander Mattelaer

Given the Ukraine crisis, Russia’s resurgence and the burning crises in the South there has never been a better time to discuss European defence. From November 2014 to March 2015, the online magazine European Geostrategy published a number of excellent essays on the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), all from a national perspective. You can now read all of the essays in this one neat publication. Indeed, in this essay collection jointly published by European Geostrategy, the Egmont Institute and the Institute for European Studies, a host of leading experts give their national perspectives on the present state and future of the EU’s CSDP. Each of the thirty-four essays focuses on the continued relevance of the CSDP when compared to the security challenges facing Europe today. Some essays give a bleak picture of the future, whereas others see grounds for optimism. Either way the essays are bound to provoke reactions of all kinds.

The Common Security and Defence Policy: National Perspectives

NATO's New Strategic Concept. A Comprehensive Assessment

Olivier Schmitt

Amelie Theussen

Perceptions of time contributed to recent Western military failings The “decline of the West” is once again a frequent topic of speculation. Often cited as one element of the alleged decline is the succession of prolonged and unsuccessful wars—most notably those waged in recent decades by the United States. This book by three Danish military experts examines not only the validity of the speculation but also asks why the West, particularly its military effectiveness, might be perceived as in decline. Temporality is the central concept linking a series of structural fractures that leave the West seemingly muscle-bound: overwhelmingly powerful in technology and military might but strategically fragile. This temporality, the authors say, is composed of three interrelated dimensions: trajectories, perceptions, and pace. First, Western societies to tend view time as a linear trajectory, focusing mostly on recent and current events and leading to the framing of history as a story of rise and decline. The authors examine whether the inevitable fall already has happened, is underway, or is still in the future. Perceptions of time also vary across cultures and periods, shaping socio-political activities, including warfare. The enemy, for example, can be perceived as belong to another time (being “backward” or “barbarian”). And war can be seen either as cyclical or exceptional, helping frame the public’s willingness to accept its violent and tragic consequences. The pace of war is another factor shaping policies and actions. Western societies emphasize speed: the shorter the war the better, even if the long-term result is unsuccessful. Ironically, one of the Western world’s least successful wars also has been America’s longest, in Afghanistan. This unique book is thus a critical assessment of the evolution and future of Western military power. It contributes much-needed insight into the potential for the West’s political and institutional renewal.

Temporality and the Decline of Western Military Power

War Time

Theo Farrell

Terry Terriff

An empirically rich account of how the West's main war-fighting armies have transformed since the end of the Cold War.

Britain, France, and the United States, 1991–2012

Transforming Military Power since the Cold War

Sten Rynning

About

Books

Join the club