The European Security and Defense Policy: NATO's Companion -- or Competitor; The EU and Crisis Management: Development and Prospects
Reviewed by Philip Gordon
These two books provide useful detail on the evolution of the European Union's efforts to develop an autonomous defense and security policy. Hunter, a long-time European security expert and the U.S. ambassador to NATO from 1993 to 1998, is well placed to provide an American perspective. Not surprisingly, his assessment reflects the hesitantly supportive attitude of the administration that he served: "Yes," the United States supports the EU's efforts to do more for its own defense, "but" this push should not come at the expense of NATO or exclude key non-EU allies such as Turkey. All the challenges of trying to encourage the EU to develop its military capacity while ensuring continued American leadership and avoiding unnecessary duplication are covered in this perceptive analysis.
Duke provides an even more detailed account than Hunter does, and he fleshes out the EU's recent efforts in the security sector and the structures that are emerging. Heavily laden with acronyms and organizational flow charts that make for pretty dry reading, the book is nonetheless a good account of how the new EU security policy will work -- or at least how it is supposed to work.
