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Denmark will answer the phone!Whilst Denmark has consistently stored its position as an outsider inside the European Union, the country's recent stand on defence displays a new trend which might lead the Danes in the ESDP sooner than anticipatedA strong military tradition examined by the « 1864 syndrome »Denmark owns a long-earned track record as a nation of fierce warriors. As early as in the Middle Ages, Europe was drastically impacted by the raids conducted by Scandinavian Vikings under Danish leadership. Throughout the centuries, the Danish individuals have as a result created a robust sense of military self-reliance.Even so, a series of setbacks influenced the nationwide ethos. Beginning in the 17th century with the reduction of the Eastern provinces to Sweden, and ending in 1864 with a bloody defeat against Prussia and Austria, this era of military downfall left Denmark an isolated nation facing the newly established German Empire. As a outcome of what has been referred to as by historians the « 1864 syndrome », Denmark subsequently opted for an armed neutrality, which prevailed for the duration of World War One particular. After the war, defence sceptics succeeded in disarming the country, which would have been no match towards Hitler's armies anyway.A military rebirth inside NATOWith the end of Globe War two came a completely diverse era. Denmark and the other Nordic countries experimented with to form a widespread defence union that was soon shadowed by NATO as Denmark joined the new Alliance as a founding member. For the initial time in centuries, the Danes agree to fall under the protection of the most potent ally of Western bloc: the United States. However, via the prism of the « 1864 syndrome », they kept seeing themselves as a nation at chance and they favoured a defensive technique all throughout the Cold War.Nonetheless, Denmark produced step by step one particular of the best military in Europe. Also, following the entrance of Germany in the Alliance, Denmark joined forces with its former enemy to type a specific army corps developed to defend the Baltic borders. Today's scholars like Klaus Karsten Pedersen take into account this military formation to be the 1st « Eurocorps » ever.Shaping a European destiny alongside the EUDenmark may be an authentic member of NATO, it has undoubtedly not restrained the Danes from expressing their difference. In the 80s, a political coalition agreed on a distinct foreign and protection policy which lead to a a lot more conciliatory position in the direction of the Eastern bloc. This diverse –softer- continental approach clashed with the American vision, and the Danish place was materialized by footnotes added to NATO policy papers. This so-named « footnote » time period may be studied from numerous different angles, but at least it showed that Denmark could act independently from the Americans to defend its own European agenda.In the years following the collapse of the Berlin wall, the particular defence method adopted by Denmark became even far more apparent. Though Denmark has often been associated with Excellent Britain because of its restrictive approach to the Maastricht treaty in 1992, the Danish opt-out from European defence activities has established to be far a lot more complicated than the British position. In truth, it can be argued that the Danish opt-outs from a number of European Union policies aided conserve the Treaty of Maastricht. Furthermore, not only did it not prevent Denmark from taking its fair share of the widespread defence, but it also allowed the Danes to consider lead on numerous occasions.The robust Baltic policy initiated by Denmark as early as in 1990 is a clear illustration of it. When the Danish government invited Baltic representatives to organize meetings in Copenhagen prior to the formal independence of their states, it was by some means an implementation of the European will that the EU itself did not afford. Denmark, with Germany, also took the initiative of launching the Council of Baltic Sea States with the three newly independent states. http://remipoker.asia In addition to, Denmark signed bilateral defence agreements with Poland, with the Baltic States and even with Russia in the 90s. The growth of military cooperation with Poland and the Baltic states led to elevated cooperation in the area on peacekeeping missions. It was also instrumental in bringing Poland in the Danish-German corps, turning it into a Polish-Danish-German corps now stationed in Poland.In addition, Denmark lead a proactive Balkan policy, being among the 1st European nations to recognize the independence of the former republics of Yugoslavia.Deeds, not phrasesGiven that the 90s, Denmark has unhesitatingly sent troops each time its commitment essential it beneath the UN or NATO. Danish soldiers have been between the very very first to deploy in Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Each and every time, they sent a lot more troops proportionally than any other contributing nation. Danish contingents had been also sent to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and to Kosovo. In 2000, Denmark took the initiative to set up the Multinational Stand-by Large Readiness Brigade for United Nations Operations (SHIRBRIG), which has given that deployed from Ethiopia and Eritrea to Ivory Coast. Final but not least, Danish forces have observed comprehensive services in Afghanistan and Iraq.All these examples tend to present that considering that the 90s, as Bertel Heurlin place it, Denmark has turn into a producer of security rather than just a consumer (two). That is why nowadays Denmark is a main European defence actor, capable and ready to use soft electrical power as nicely as tough power, even if Marie Krarup, defence spokesperson for the Danish People’s Party, is not so optimistic. In particular, on the way back from an official journey in New-Zealand, Marie Krarup explained (three) that “There are a lot of similarities in between New Zealand and Denmark. The size of the population the wish to conserve on defence so that it does not make up too large a proportion of GDP as properly as massive duties in the way of monitoring of arctic areas”. Danish Defence abilities and missions keep a hot spot of the Danish political debates. As Nicolai Wammen, the recent ministry of Defence, put it, “even though Denmark is a rather modest country in size, we believe we can contribute to major alter.” (4) In that perspective, reinforcing Danish military capacities on land has turn out to be an proof as current operations demonstrated the want for effective mobile ground forces. This is why Denmark could turn in direction of European countries known for their defence business, like France or the Uk, to obtain a new generation of military tools. Thus, Danish organization Hydrema just lately signed a partnership with Nexter, the French leader in land-based mostly weapons techniques. The two businesses will particularly function together on programmes such as the integration of programs of APCs (armoured personal carriers), in order to support the Royal Danish Army’s M113 APC substitute programme. Today, taking into consideration the age of military products from the Cold War era, Denmark intends to deepen European partnership to increase crucial military capabilities.Rethinking the part of Denmark with the ESDPThe position of Denmark as a strategic player in Europe has revived the debate in excess of the ESDP. In August 2013, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, former prime minister and leader of the opposition, proposed that a referendum on the opt-outs of EU, such as defence, coincide with the 2014 European election. At the time, his proposal was not accepted by the government. However, the two greatest parties in parliament, the Social Democrats and Liberals, have lately agreed that such a referendum would be held in early 2016. It is now understood by a bulk of Danes that full participation in the ESDP would allow Denmark to help form the development of the EU in a special way.Clearly, the « 1864 syndrome » belongs to the previous... (one) Pedersen, Klaus Carsten, Denmark and the European Safety and Defence Policy, p. 41(2) Heurlin, B., Riget, magten og militæret: dansk forsvars- og sikkerhedspolitik below Forvars-kommissionerne af 1988 og 1997 [The kingdom, the power and the military: Danish defence and safety policy and the defence commissions of 1988 and 1997] (Aarhus Universitetsforlag: Århus, 2004)(3) (four)