Article 296: Friend or Foe?
EuroFuture, Winter 2006
Language of the original publication: English
The armaments sector is the par excellence strategic field, be it in geopolitical, economic or technological terms. Due to the coincidence between the most abstract questions related to sovereignty and the most tangible nature of the products (origin, composition, design), the policies pursued in this area are particularly revealing of, and determining for, the direction Europe is about to take.
Armaments issues are, in several respects, the moment of truth for European integration. The whole European process being based on what is commonly referred to as “constructive ambiguity”, the irruption of the most controversial questions in the most unforgiving way creates an entirely new situation. One in which the ever-growing gap between rhetoric and reality becomes all too visible. The traditional discourse about Europe becoming a “fully-fledged international actor on its own right” or “a distinct and original entity” clashes spectacularly with the reluctance of the majority of Member States to draw the logical conclusions and provide the appropriate means.
What confers, in this case, a particular taste to the usual “philosophical” debate over the EU’s “finalités”, is the extremely concrete, tangible form in which these issues arise when it comes to the armaments field. There is nothing ambiguous about whether you can or cannot assess a crisis situation on your own, whether you can or cannot operate your military apparatus independently, and whether you do or do not need a Third party’s (at least tacit) approval to make choices, defend yourself and act on the international scene. The difference between dependence and independence is built in the “ironware”.
(Extracts)
(Hajnalka Vincze, Article 296: Friend or Foe?, EuroFuture, Winter 2006, 13,300 characters)