The Dutch Diversified Strategy and the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Examining the Dutch position towards the EU and NATO as security organizations in the period 2003-2005

Abstract

This thesis explores Dutch security strategies in the period between 2003 and 2005, in the context of EUFOR Althea. It uses the framework of shelter theory to research how the Dutch employed a diversified strategy, employing both NATO and the European Union as security guarantors. NATO was the primary security guarantor throughout the Cold War era. However, times were changing in the new millennium. There was turmoil within NATO, and the EU was expanding. The EU did so not only by increasing its members but also by increasing its tasks. EUFOR Althea was one of the first times the EU got involved in peacekeeping operations, taking over the mandate from NATO. The EU used this operation to further develop the CSDP. This thesis will view the Dutch role in the intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina primarily through archival material, newspapers, and parliamentary sources. Security has recently become an increasingly important topic for the Dutch government, as tensions are rising in the world and armed conflict no longer seems of the past. Furthermore, there is uncertainty within NATO regarding the role of the Americans, leading Europe to increase its defense efforts. One constant since 2004 has been the ongoing mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Dutch recently announced they would once again contribute to EUFOR Althea. This thesis combines these topics of the EU and NATO as security organizations in the context of EUFOR, in a time where revisiting the academic debate on small state security is growing increasingly relevant.