ABSTRACT
NATO collaboration is not a recent phenomenon. It has been an aim of the Alliance for a long time. The purpose of this chapter is to historically review policy developments in this field, with particular emphasis on the contribution that Europe has made in this process. Three phases in a continuum of policy initiatives will be identified. These are discussed in detail, beginning with an appraisal of the post-war task of securing some form of European identity to assuage the threat of further intra-European conflict. The second stage, Europe's political and economic growing pains, is then examined. This phase is characterised by numerous ambitious cooperative proposals failing to find consensus in an era of US military dominance. Finally, there is the third phase, which is in effect a transitionary stage for perhaps the ultimate goal of defence Europeanisation. The EC has an outside chance of assuming this responsibility, though as indicated in the chapter, ambiguities surround the constitutional possibilities in this regard.
