Bulletin n. 3/2008
February 2009
CONTENTS
  • Section A) The theory and practise of the federal states and multi-level systems of government
  • Section B) Global governance and international organizations
  • Section C) Regional integration processes
  • Section D) Federalism as a political idea
    • Wilson G.A.S.C.
    Coherent Policy or Random Opportunism. The British Approach to ESDP.
    in Rivista di Studi Politici Internazionali , Volume 75, n. 3, luglio-settembre ,  2008 ,  331-354
    The struggle to forge a meaningful European Defence Identity has now been going on for ten years. Originally developed within the WEU, the 1998 UK-France St Malo agreement reflected a fundamental change in British policy which led to the production of a timetable for the establishment of a European rapid reaction force. Subsequently Britain was torn between the desire to be the pace-setter at the heart of Europe and the need to temper the French predilection for an independent European policy and thus keep in step with the US. The very personal and somewhat opportunistic approach by Prime minister Blair was not always in tune with the more coherent Whitehall policy and yet the ability to deploy any force for effective use remains highly problematical. Now Blair has been succeeded by Gordon Brown, it seems likely that the issue will receive somewhat less attention, even though President Sarkozy has declared that France will rejoin the military infrastructure of Nato, but wishes greater autonomy for ESDP as a price for this dramatic change of long standing French policy.
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