Rights statement: The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Cooperation and Conflict, 54 (3), 2019, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2019 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Cooperation and Conflict page: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/cac on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/
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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Upside Down
T2 - Reframing European Defence Studies
AU - Meijer, Hugo
AU - Wyss, Marco
N1 - The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Cooperation and Conflict, 54 (3), 2019, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2019 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Cooperation and Conflict page: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/cac on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/
PY - 2019/8/1
Y1 - 2019/8/1
N2 - Since the end of the Cold War, the study of European defence has been dominated by a 'Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)-centric' approach, while largely neglecting the comparative analysis of national defence policies. This article makes a conceptual and empirical case for turning the dominant research prism of European defence studies upside down by returning the analytical precedence to the national level. This approach privileges the comparative analysis of national defence policies and armed forces, before focusing on the trans-/supra-national level. The case for this analytical turn is made in three steps. Firstly, it addresses the different historical stages in European defence integration and the transformation of national armed forces and thereby brings to light the recent renationalization of defence in Europe. Secondly, it questions the predominance of the CSDP in the scholarly literature on European defence. Finally, it seeks to demonstrate the fruitfulness of such a demarche by empirically substantiating common patterns and intra-European divergences in the evolution of national defence policies and armed forces since the end of the Cold War. After having shown the need and added benefit of turning the analytical lense of European defence studies on its head, the conclusion suggests future avenues of research on national defence policies and armed forces in Europe.
AB - Since the end of the Cold War, the study of European defence has been dominated by a 'Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)-centric' approach, while largely neglecting the comparative analysis of national defence policies. This article makes a conceptual and empirical case for turning the dominant research prism of European defence studies upside down by returning the analytical precedence to the national level. This approach privileges the comparative analysis of national defence policies and armed forces, before focusing on the trans-/supra-national level. The case for this analytical turn is made in three steps. Firstly, it addresses the different historical stages in European defence integration and the transformation of national armed forces and thereby brings to light the recent renationalization of defence in Europe. Secondly, it questions the predominance of the CSDP in the scholarly literature on European defence. Finally, it seeks to demonstrate the fruitfulness of such a demarche by empirically substantiating common patterns and intra-European divergences in the evolution of national defence policies and armed forces since the end of the Cold War. After having shown the need and added benefit of turning the analytical lense of European defence studies on its head, the conclusion suggests future avenues of research on national defence policies and armed forces in Europe.
KW - Armed forces
KW - Common Security and Defence Policy
KW - defence policy
KW - European defence
U2 - 10.1177/0010836718790606
DO - 10.1177/0010836718790606
M3 - Journal article
VL - 54
SP - 378
EP - 406
JO - Cooperation and Conflict
JF - Cooperation and Conflict
SN - 0010-8367
IS - 3
ER -