The Challenge of European Political Will

This report examines the political will of European countries to conduct military missions and operations. It identifies four prototypes of political will and assesses the political will of European allies and partners to conduct fifteen types of military missions. It finds that internal and external factors will continue to constrain European political will, but European states are more likely to engage in military missions at the lower end of the conflict spectrum.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 56 pages
Publication date: 02 September 2022
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

In this comprehensive follow-on report to Europe's High-End Military Challenges: The Future of European Capabilities and Missions, the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and International Security Program delve into the other side of European military effectiveness: the political will of European countries to conduct military missions and operations. The report identifies the endogenous and exogenous factors constraining or increasing political will and maps them onto six country case studies. Four prototypes of political will emerge from the analysis: global partners, international activists, constrained partners, and minimalists.

The report then assesses the political will of European allies and partners to conduct fifteen types of military missions and operations worldwide, ranging from peacekeeping to large-scale combat. It concludes with a summary of key findings.

First, the report finds that internal and external factors, such as strategic culture and alliance dependence, respectively, will continue to constrain European political will in many cases, even after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Second, European states are more likely to have the political will to engage in military missions at the lower end of the conflict spectrum, such as maritime patrol missions, and less likely at the higher ends of the spectrum, except in cases of significant collective or national defense.

Overall, this report provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics shaping European military capabilities and missions, highlighting the factors that influence European countries' willingness and ability to engage in military operations both within and beyond their borders.

Weight: 184g
Dimension: 278 x 217 x 6 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781538170519
Edition number: CSIS Report