ABSTRACT
The present chapter purports to examine 1) the factors that impede the development
of an autonomous defence capability within the European Union (EU); 2) the
prospects of the aforementioned enterprise, especially in the light of the continuing
EU enlargement process; 3) the implications of the likely evolution of the European
Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) on transatlantic relations and international order.
The main argument of this chapter is that the prospects for an autonomous European
