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A conflicted nation: analyzing political discourse within the Netherlands on EU military interoperability
Werken, E.J van de (2025) A conflicted nation: analyzing political discourse within the Netherlands on EU military interoperability.
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| Abstract: | This thesis investigates the willingness of the Netherlands in political discourse to enhance military interoperability within the European Union. Existing literature has examined defence integration through institutional or strategic lenses; the thesis differentiates by focusing on how political willingness is expressed through discourse in national politics. The study conducts a discourse analysis through a theory-testing approach of Dutch parliamentary and media debates from January 2018 until May 2025, through an operationalization of three hypotheses based on neo-realist and neo-functionalist theory. The findings reveal a shift: Before 2022, Dutch discourse was dominated by a realist logic of NATO reliance, while post-2022 discourse increasingly reflects support, but notably constrained, for EU-level defence cooperation. The thesis concludes that political willingness within the Netherlands is increasing but that it remains conditional, as concerns over autonomy and fiscal burden sharing within the EU persist. The results contribute to and nuance existing literature on EU defence integration and contribute to a general understanding of discursive political reasoning within the Netherlands. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 88 social and public administration, 89 political science |
| Programme: | Management Society and Technology BSc (56654) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107541 |
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