Europeanization of British Defence Policy

The study of European defence policy has achieved voodoo status with its mysteries guarded by a high priesthood of analysts. Robert Dover has cut through with a work that is clear, focused and beautifully researched. He tells a complex story in a way anyone will understand and traces the history of the Labour Government's attempts to put new life into the European defence project. Not least, he puts all this into a context of 'europeanization' and adds a seminal perspective for future students of the subject. The high priests will blanch when they read this; the rest of us will be very grateful. Michael Clarke, Professor of Defence Studies, King's College LondonWith particular reference to the development and negotiation of the European Security and Defence Policy, arms trade policy and the decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003, this book provides a strong contemporaneous account of the processes within Europeanization. The phenomenon of Europeanization has become a topic that is constantly under debate. This critical volume examines Europeanization through examples of British defence policy, the European Security and Defence Policy, the legal arms trade and the decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003. Drawing on examples from Austria and France, as well as unveiling the role of the Prime Minister and his close confidants in driving through this controversial defence policy, Robert Dover provides an original and engaging contemporaneous account of Europeanization.Academics, post-graduate researchers and analysts concerned with British foreign and defence policy and those interested in European defence policy more generally, will all find this study a must read.Contents: Introduction; The framework, sources and approach; Domestic policy formulation: Pörtschach and Saint Malo; Intergovernmental bargains: concepts and preparations; Saint Malo and Nice: the machinery of negotiating; Why governments transfer sovereignty: formal Europeanization; The Iraq war - the problem of national interests for Europeanization; The Europeanization of the arms trade; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.About the Author: Robert Dover is Lecturer in Defence Studies at King's College London, UK.