Joachim Koops, Jean Monnet Chair in the European Union’s role in Security and Global Affairs andSophie Veriter, PhD Candidate and member of the EURISGA team at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs published a new chapter on “The Netherlands' approach to EU CSDP and UN peacekeeping operations Assessing a “big small power” in European and global security.
This chapter examines the role of theNetherlands in European and Global Security from the perspective of a so-called“big small power”. Whilst the Netherlands has often been described as a medium power or the biggest of the small powers in the European Union (EU) context, this chapter explores the Dutch role in European and Global Security by examining its approach to the European Union's Common Security and DefencePolicy (CSDP) and related EU Security and defence issues as well as theNetherlands’ role in United Nations peacekeeping. The chapter argues that theNetherlands has punched below its weight in the CSDP realm, but has managed to strategically use its influence in UN peacekeeping – notwithstanding its overarching preference for and troop contributions to NATO operations. The chapter also sheds light on the unusual fact for small states that public opinion seems to be more favourable to a stronger Dutch engagement in European and Global security than the Dutch political elites which makes the Netherlands an interesting case study for the relationship between public opinion, elite consensus and international organisations and frameworks.
The new Report “TheStrategic Compass: Implementing the Partnership Dimension in the area ofSecurity and Defence” has been co-authored by Joachim Koops and Ramon Pacheco Pardo from King’s College, London.
The in-depth report focuses on providing advice on how to implement the Strategic Compass’s partnership dimension in the field of security and defence, and how to maximise the potential of the EU’s different strategic partnerships. The report provides not only an up-to-date overview of the most important security and defence partnerships, but also places them in their wider historical context, and in the context of future challenges within a fiercely changing geopolitical landscape. The report maps the EU’s different partnerships and their institutional arrangements, as well as the main policy fields in the realm of security and defence. It offers and in-depth analysis of the core challenges of each major partnership and charts out concrete recommendations for how each partnership can be geared towards a more impactful realisation of the StrategicCompass’s goals. It will also examine how existing cooperation arrangements can be improved, and how new fora can be utilised in a more comprehensive manner.Overall, this IDA seeks to examine and assess in detail how the StrategicCompass’s emphasis on security and defence partnerships can be implemented in practice, and what role the European Parliament can play in this process.
You can access the chapter here: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003082453-6/netherlands-approach-eu-csdp-un-peacekeeping-operations-joachim-koops-sophie-v%C3%A9riter