Europe's Militarization

Weazl has spent a lot of time analyzing aspects of US policy and has been perhaps too silent regarding European issues. However, the European Union is preparing to spend up to €1 billion per year on new ‘research’ into surveillance and control technologies, according to Arming Big Brother, a new report by the Transnational Institute and Statewatch. “Arms industry lobbying is leading to the creation of a powerful new internal security-industrial complex,” says Ben Hayes, author of the report. This effort is designed to allow European companies to compete with US multinationals and the US government’s funding of ‘Homeland Security’ research. Weazl has also attached a report entitled, "The emerging EU Military Industrial Complex: Arms Industry Lobbying in Brussels," that looks at the role of the arms industry in shaping European policy, particularly with respect to developing the European Defence and Security Policy. By contrast, meaningful representation from civil society more generally in this part of foreign policy is largely, if not completely, absent.

This understanding of European Defense spending should be kept within a larger understanding of the European debate about the role of its defense vis a vis the traditional alliance or reliance on American military power. This is a subject that has been the subject of much debate about the "Trans-Atlantic Alliance" and what that means for European soveigntly. An explanation of such debate from the famous think tank, The Rand Corporation, entitled "The European Security and Defense Policy: NATO's Companion - or Competitior?" may be read here in full (though broken up into pdf files by chapter).

This is an issue, however, that will needs to be continually monitored. Many issues about European Security are taking place behind closed doors and without much public scrutiny, and given the role of the United States to affect European Defense policy, changes rapidly (one of the most interesting examples was the shift of the EU from its decision to lift its arms moratorium to China only to cave into American pressure and reverse itself. An example of the US perspective may be seen here, and the real world results here. Weazl has actually more closely examined this particular issue, but perhaps post such analysis another time).

Discussions and preparations of Europe's defense role have been largely rendered neuter by the fissures in this Trans-Atlantic debate. However, it would be well advised that Europe find a way to find its own voice, given the rampant militancy of the United States, especially one that after Iran will begin warmongering against China. And thus the role of European defense and defense capacity are issues that should be far more prominent and discussed than is presently the case. Yet stagnation aids the status quo power, namely, the United States. And as world events seem headed towards in some very unfortunate directions, Europe, aside from Putin's Russia, appear stunningly quiet on many critical issues in which it would be expected to have its own voice.