Making Sense of Multinational Cooperation

Abstract

Multinational cooperation is a prominent characteristic among the armed forces of European states. However, despite its prevalence, a shared understanding of this phenomenon is lacking in the research community. Furthermore, studies often restrict their focus to examining the effects of cooperation, neglecting the essential exploration of its underlying conditions. To overcome these limitations, this article develops a categorisation of multinational cooperation into structures, processes, and activities. It concludes that multinational cooperation in Europe can be categorised into three distinct phases (1990-2004, 2005-2013, 2014-) with significantly varying underlying motives for cooperation, particularly since the ‘wave of multinational cooperation’ in Europe following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2014. By introducing a novel framework for comprehending military cooperation and presenting an empirically informed overview of recent shifts in cooperation across Europe, this article aims to invigorate further research in the field.