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
Abstract
This thesis asks why EU countries adjust their security and defence policies in different ways when they face the same external shock. It uses neoclassical realism—a perspective that links international pressures with domestic factors—to examine how pressures from the international system combine with country-specific conditions to shape decisions and reforms. The study compares Denmark and Spain, two EU members that reacted differently to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It finds that while a major security shock creates similar external pressures for all EU states, domestic factors largely determine how adaptation unfolds. In particular, strategic culture (the long-standing ideas, histories, and habits that guide how a country thinks about security and the use of military force) and state–society relations (how governments and society interact when making policy) either enable change or hold it back.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvorfor EU-lande tilpasser deres sikkerheds- og forsvarspolitik forskelligt, når de står over for det samme eksterne chok. Det anvender neoklassisk realisme—en tilgang, der forbinder internationale pres med indenlandske forhold—til at analysere, hvordan pres fra det internationale system kombineres med landespecifikke forhold og former beslutninger og reformer. Studiet sammenligner Danmark og Spanien, to EU-lande der reagerede forskelligt på Ruslands invasion af Ukraine. Det finder, at et stort sikkerhedschok skaber lignende ydre pres for alle EU-lande, men at indenlandske faktorer i høj grad afgør, hvordan tilpasningen forløber. Særligt den strategiske kultur (de langvarige ideer, erfaringer og vaner, der præger et lands syn på sikkerhed og brugen af militær magt) og stat–samfund-relationer (hvordan regering og samfund interagerer i udformningen af politik) kan enten muliggøre forandring eller bremse den.
[This abstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords