From Security Shock to Defence Adaptation: A Neoclassical Realist Comparison of Denmark and Spain
Authors
Akselsen, Tobias Bjerge ; Andersen, Tobias
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-05-28
Pages
74
Abstract
This thesis examines why EU countries do not adjust their security and defence in the same way when they face the same external shock, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It uses neoclassical realism—a theory that links pressures from the international system with domestic politics—to explore how outside threats and internal factors together shape policy and military change. The study compares Denmark and Spain, two countries that responded differently to the invasion. The findings show that while external shocks create similar pressure on EU states, domestic factors are decisive for how countries respond and adapt. In particular, strategic culture (a country’s long-standing beliefs and habits about the use of force) and state–society relations (how governments, institutions, and the public relate and influence security choices) can either enable or constrain defence adaptation, meaning concrete changes in security and defence policy.
Specialet undersøger, hvorfor EU-lande ikke tilpasser deres sikkerhed og forsvar på samme måde, selv når de møder det samme ydre chok, som Ruslands invasion af Ukraine. Det anvender neoklassisk realisme—en teori, der forbinder pres fra det internationale system med indenrigspolitiske forhold—til at belyse, hvordan ydre trusler og interne faktorer tilsammen former politik og militære ændringer. Studiet sammenligner Danmark og Spanien, to lande der reagerede forskelligt på invasionen. Resultaterne viser, at ydre chok skaber lignende pres for EU-lande, men at indenlandske forhold er afgørende for, hvordan landene svarer og tilpasser sig. Særligt har strategisk kultur (et lands langvarige forestillinger og vaner om brug af magt) og stat–samfundsrelationer (hvordan regering, institutioner og befolkning relaterer sig til hinanden og påvirker sikkerhedsvalg) enten muliggjort eller begrænset forsvarstilpasning, det vil sige konkrete ændringer i sikkerheds- og forsvarspolitik.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords