Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
4-2010
Abstract
Nuclear weapons remain the unquestioned core of the defence postures of both France and the United Kingdom. At the same time, the European Union is progressively enhancing its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), notably through the establishment of a European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). Yet, despite evident progress in the CFSP, whose ultimate purpose is to lead to a ‘common defence policy’, EU member-states still deal with nuclear issues on a predominantly national basis. What is the alleged purpose of European nuclear forces? How is the raison d’être of the French and British nuclear deterrents conceptualized against the background of progressing European (defence) integration? This article examines the construction of the rationale of the French and British nuclear forces and their compatibility with the emerging European defence policy, particularly with regard to a hypothetical integration of both arsenals into a common deterrent. Could and should a ‘European nuclear deterrent’ be envisaged as the final stage in the framing of a European defence?
Keywords
European Union, nuclear weapons, deterrence, European Option, ESDP
Discipline
Defense and Security Studies | Political Science
Research Areas
Political Science
Publication
Security Dialogue
Volume
41
Issue
2
First Page
145
Last Page
168
ISSN
0967-0106
Identifier
10.1177/0967010610361889
Publisher
SAGE
Citation
Jasper, Ursula, & PORTELA, Clara.(2010). EU Defence Integration and Nuclear Weapons: A Common Deterrent for Europe?. Security Dialogue, 41(2), 145-168.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/942
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010610361889