The geopoliticisation of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy: from a peace to a defence logic

This paper examines the impact of new geopolitical dynamics on the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). It argues that the geopoliticisation of the CSDP has resulted in a shift from an externally-oriented crisis management policy to an inward-oriented security and defence policy, focused on the protection of the Union. Looking at the evolution of this policy from the early 2000s to current developments in the aftermath of 2022 Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine allows us to trace this transformation from external crisis management to internal security, symbolised by fewer but also less ambitious CSDP operations and missions. Overall, we see a turn from a peace logic to a defence logic in the EU’s narrative and external security engagements, including in Europe. Not only has this 'defence turn' transformed the nature of the CSDP, it also raises normative and practical questions about the EU's broader role and identity as a security actor.