Sammendrag
The terror attacks on 11 September 2001 radically altered states' perceptions of the international threat landscape. How are we responding and adjusting to the world that is thrust upon us after 9/11? The current security environment is characterized by elusive and evolving transnational threats and state against non-state actors (e.g. global terrorist networks) in a complex and globalized world. This thesis delves deeper into how the aftermath affected civil-military relations within the confines of preparing for and acting upon threats. It examines continuity and change in government-military relations of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden between 2001 and 2014, and to what extent participation in expeditionary warfare in a post-9/11 context have influenced changes. The dissertation develops a novel analytical framework based on critical realism, which brings together a peacetime and a wartime perspective. The analysis is based on a qualitative comparative study and exploits a wide range of sources, including elite interviews. Examining changing patterns of Nordic civil-military relations, the dissertation concludes that the four countries shared similar characteristics in 2001 but that their paths diverged towards 2014. The armed forces in Finland and Sweden have maintained a broad military capability of influence, while political authorities in Denmark and Norway have tightened the governance of its military. Having identified dynamics and tensions, the analysis demonstrates that the participation in expeditionary warfare in Afghanistan has posed stress and challenges to political and military authorities alike and played a role in shifting civil-military relations. The main finding of this thesis is that there is a social structure inherent in civil-military relations derived from power and anxiety, which is influenced by war. Overall, expeditionary warfare has had the greatest impact on Denmark, followed by Sweden and Norway, and a minor impact on Finland.
Vis fullstendig beskrivelse
