Power, Identity, and the Limits of EU Defence Integration: France, Sweden, and the Strategic Autonomy Debate (2016-2024)
Author
Dixon, Nathaniel Erik Bohr
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-05-29
Pages
71
Abstract
This thesis examines why EU member states differ in their support for strategic autonomy in defence, understood as the Union’s capacity to act independently without reliance on external security guarantors. The debate has intensified since 2016 due to three key developments: uncertainty about long-term US commitments under the Trump administration, the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In parallel, the EU has elevated strategic autonomy in policy and institutions via initiatives such as the Strategic Compass, PESCO, and the European Defence Fund, as leaders like Emmanuel Macron have called for a more sovereign and capable Europe. The research question guiding the study is: Why do EU member states differ in their support for strategic autonomy in defence policy? To address this, the thesis conducts a comparative analysis of France and Sweden from 2016 to 2024. France is the clearest proponent of maximal strategic autonomy, rooted in a Gaullist strategic culture and backed by capabilities such as nuclear weapons and a permanent UN Security Council seat. Sweden provides a sharp contrast with a centuries-long tradition of military non-alignment, disrupted by its 2022 NATO application in response to Russia’s aggression. The thesis employs a hybrid theoretical framework that combines realism (structural pressures in the threat environment) and constructivism (strategic culture and national role conceptions) to assess how identity and culture mediate policy choices despite shared external shocks. Methodologically, it uses a two-case comparative design to test hypotheses about the interaction between structural drivers and national ideas. Findings are not presented in this excerpt.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvorfor EU-medlemsstater adskiller sig i deres støtte til strategisk autonomi på forsvarsområdet, forstået som EU’s evne til at handle uafhængigt uden at være afhængig af eksterne sikkerhedsgaranter. Debatten er blevet forstærket af tre centrale udviklinger siden 2016: usikkerhed om USA’s langsigtede forpligtelser under Trump-administrationen, Storbritanniens udtræden af EU og Ruslands fuldskala-invasion af Ukraine i 2022. Samtidig har EU skærpet sin politiske og institutionelle indsats gennem initiativer som Strategic Compass, PESCO og Den Europæiske Forsvarsfond, mens ledere som Emmanuel Macron har fremhævet behovet for en mere suveræn og handlekraftig Europa. Afhandlingen stiller forskningsspørgsmålet: Hvorfor adskiller EU-lande sig i deres støtte til strategisk autonomi i forsvarspolitikken? For at belyse dette gennemføres en komparativ analyse af Frankrig og Sverige i perioden 2016–2024. Frankrig repræsenterer en maksimalistisk fortaler for strategisk autonomi, forankret i en gaullistisk strategisk kultur og støttet af materielle kapaciteter som atomvåben og en permanent plads i FN’s Sikkerhedsråd. Sverige udgør en skarp kontrast med en århundredelang tradition for militær ikke-tilslutning, som blev brudt med NATO-ansøgningen i 2022 som reaktion på Rusland. Afhandlingen anvender en integreret teoretisk ramme, der kombinerer realisme (strukturelt pres fra trusselsmiljøet) og konstruktivisme (strategisk kultur og nationale rolleopfattelser), for at vurdere, hvordan identitet og kultur kan forklare divergerende politikvalg på trods af fælles ydre chok. Metodisk bygger studiet på et to-cases komparativt design, der tester hypoteser om samspillet mellem strukturelle drivkræfter og nationale idéer. Resultater præsenteres ikke i dette uddrag.
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