The European Union: Just an Alliance or a Military Alliance?

Over centuries there have been different definitions and criteria for alliances. Within this, however, there are categories entitled 'military alliances'. The article arrives at 11 different criteria for categorisation of alliances and applies them to the different facets of the European Union. It concludes that, on the broadest terms, the EU does meet the criteria for an alliance but that the jury is still out on some aspect of the European Union being a military alliance. This conclusion has consequences for the foreign, security and defence policies of several member states and, indeed, for the future of the European Union itself.