Strengthening the Western Security Community. Wendt’s Master Variables and EU-NATO Relations

Changing geopolitical dynamics between traditional transatlantic allies have raised profound questions not only about the future of the North Atlantic Alliance, but also about that of the European Union (EU). Without NATO, the EU would likely remain a ‘civilian’ or ‘normative’ power in a world increasingly characterized by the use of military force and apathy towards fundamental international norms. This view is consistent with the literature on EU–NATO relations, which has highlighted European dependency from NATO, alongside the Union’s more limited impact within the Alliance. In this paper, we challenge this perspective by arguing that the EU has been, and continues to be, at least as indispensable to NATO as the latter has been — and still is — to the former. More specifically, building on Alexander Wendt’s four master variables and drawing on relevant publications, speeches, and official declarations from both organizations, we aim to demonstrate that the EU has strengthened the norms and values of NATO, served as its extension in areas it is incapable of acting, and formed a shared sense of common fate with the Alliance. In doing so, it complements NATO’s strategies and contributes to the internal cohesion of the Western bloc, thereby strengthening the Western security community.