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NATO vs. the Euro Force: The First Post-Cold War Round of the ESDI Debate
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There is only one thing worse than fighting with your allies,
and that is fighting without them.
Winston Churchill
Introduction
In 1990, European security was in a state of flux. The combination of the unification of
Germany, the end of the Warsaw Pact, and the fragmentation of the Soviet Union, all occurring almost simultaneously, had profoundly altered the balance of power on the continent. The dangerous East-West confrontation that had defined European security since World War II was over. The vacuum left in its wake was certain to be filled, but the question was: with what?
At this decisive moment in history, when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s
(NATO) main historical threat was ending, the alliance was particularly vulnerable and the support for a united Europe was growing in popularity. European critics claimed that NATO had served its purpose and belonged in the dustbin of history, along with the Warsaw Pact. For them, the end of the Cold War meant the end of the Cold War alliances. If Soviet forces were withdrawing and the Warsaw Pact was dissolving, then American forces should also withdraw and NATO should give rise to an independent European Security and Defense Identity (ESDI) serving a unified Europe.
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The few security threats remaining did not compare with the Soviet threat, and the
resources of a united Europe would be more than necessary to keep the peace. In the view of its critics, NATO only served to allow American intervention in European affairs. They argued that NATO served the interests of the world’s last superpower. It existed primarily to maintain American hegemony over Europe. Many were persuaded that NATO no longer served the interests of the Europeans, who would be better served by the European Union (EU).
2
This problem sparked a debate within the alliance over the future role of NATO and its
relationship with the ESDI. As Secretary of State James Baker acknowledged, the “burden was therefore intense on NATO to demonstrate its relevance in a world without the threat it had been created to counter.”
3
1
The terms ESDI and Euro Force are used in reference to one or the combination of international organizations and
initiatives considered at this time as alternatives to NATO, e.g., the Franco-German Corps, the Western European Union, and the European Union. For further information on the ESDI, see: Michael Brenner, Terms of Engagement: The United States and the European Security Identity, (Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1998); Marco Carnovale, ed., European Security and International Institutions After the Cold War, (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995); Philip H. Gordon, France, Germany and the Western Alliance,(Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1995); Martin Hollland, ed., Common Foreign and Security Policy: The Record and Reforms, London: Pinter, 1997).
2
This research will use the term European Union (EU) because that is the current name of the organization being
referred to in the text. It should be noted that at the time these events occurred, the organization was known as the European Community (EC).
3
Robert L. Hutchings, American Diplomacy and the End of the Cold War: An Insider’s Account of U.S. Policy in
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1
There is only one thing worse than fighting with your allies,
and that is fighting without them.
Winston Churchill
Introduction
In 1990, European security was in a state of flux. The combination of the unification of
Germany, the end of the Warsaw Pact, and the fragmentation of the Soviet Union, all occurring
almost simultaneously, had profoundly altered the balance of power on the continent. The
dangerous East-West confrontation that had defined European security since World War II was
over. The vacuum left in its wake was certain to be filled, but the question was: with what?
At this decisive moment in history, when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s
(NATO) main historical threat was ending, the alliance was particularly vulnerable and the
support for a united Europe was growing in popularity. European critics claimed that NATO had
served its purpose and belonged in the dustbin of history, along with the Warsaw Pact. For them,
the end of the Cold War meant the end of the Cold War alliances. If Soviet forces were
withdrawing and the Warsaw Pact was dissolving, then American forces should also withdraw
and NATO should give rise to an independent European Security and Defense Identity (ESDI)
serving a unified Europe.
1
The few security threats remaining did not compare with the Soviet threat, and the
resources of a united Europe would be more than necessary to keep the peace. In the view of its
critics, NATO only served to allow American intervention in European affairs. They argued that
NATO served the interests of the world’s last superpower. It existed primarily to maintain
American hegemony over Europe. Many were persuaded that NATO no longer served the
interests of the Europeans, who would be better served by the European Union (EU).
2
This problem sparked a debate within the alliance over the future role of NATO and its
relationship with the ESDI. As Secretary of State James Baker acknowledged, the “burden was
therefore intense on NATO to demonstrate its relevance in a world without the threat it had been
created to counter.”
3
1
The terms ESDI and Euro Force are used in reference to one or the combination of international organizations and
initiatives considered at this time as alternatives to NATO, e.g., the Franco-German Corps, the Western European
Union, and the European Union. For further information on the ESDI, see: Michael Brenner, Terms of
Engagement: The United States and the European Security Identity, (Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and
International Studies, 1998); Marco Carnovale, ed., European Security and International Institutions After the Cold
War, (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995); Philip H. Gordon, France, Germany and the Western Alliance,
(Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1995); Martin Hollland, ed., Common Foreign and Security Policy: The Record and
Reforms, London: Pinter, 1997).
2
This research will use the term European Union (EU) because that is the current name of the organization being
referred to in the text. It should be noted that at the time these events occurred, the organization was known as the
European Community (EC).
3
Robert L. Hutchings, American Diplomacy and the End of the Cold War: An Insider’s Account of U.S. Policy in
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