Taking its departure in the concept of strategic culture, this book answers the question of why European countries decide either to participate or not in international military operations. This volume examines strategic culture and its relation to justifications of decisions made by France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom, with regard to four different operations: Operation Enduring Freedom/ISAF in Afghanistan, Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq, Operation Unified Protector in Libya, and EU Navfor/Atalanta outside Somalia. In this work, the authors closely analyse the role of civil-military relations with regard to decisions about participation.

What is the role of the armed forces in the political process leading up to the decision? What is their advisory capacity in shaping the mission? Employing a theoretical framework of strategic culture, including aspects of civil military relations, this innovative volume seeks to answer these questions. This text is essential reading for academics, researchers and students of international relations, foreign policy, war studies or civil-military relations.

Contributes empirically to the literature on civil-military relations Presents a comparative framework of decision-making between the states studied Studies both political decision-making and the involvement of the armed forces in decision-making

Autorentext

Malena Britz is Assistant Professor in Political Science at the Swedish Defence University. Her areas of research include different aspects of European security policy, Europeanisation, and Nordic co-operation. She has studied very different aspects of security policy from defence industry policy, development of EU security and defence, and international aspects of civil protection.

Inhalt

1. Strategic culture and participation in international military operations.- 2. Assuming Great Power Responsibility: French strategic culture and international military operations.- 3. To Deploy or Not To Deploy a Parliamentary Army? German strategic culture and international military operations.- 4. Keeping a Low Profile: Greek strategic culture and international military operations.- 5. Just deploy and always call it peacekeeping! Italian strategic culture and international military operations .- 6. From Enthusiasm to Reluctance: Polishstrategic culture and international military operations.- 7. Continuity or Change? British strategic culture and international military operations.- Conclusion: the willing, the cautious, and the ambivalent.