Abstract
This thesis seeks to explain how the strategic decision that was undertook by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) regarding the Defense Investment Pledge (DIP) has affected Denmark’s security and defense policy from the Wales Summit in 2014 and up to the political agreement to allocate additional funding for the Danish defence in 2019. The thesis has used a theoretical analysis framework, based on Professor Nikolaj Petersens theory, that combines the external limitations and opportunities with the internal ones along with the level of ambition among the Danish policymakers. This theory has been combined with Dr. Jean-Marc Ricklis theory which refers to the strategic dilemma of small states.
The analyses have shown that Denmark’s strategic space has been affected in a number of different ways since the DIP was agreed in 2014. Elements of both external and internal factors along with the ambitions of the policymakers have all proven their explanatory power as to how Denmark’s strategic space have been affected. The overall analysis has first of all shown that the external factors – including the perception and acceptance of the Danish security and defense policy, coalition power and negative feedback – have reduced Denmark’s strategic space. The reduction has overall been a result of four main events - including the DIP, the strategic changes in Afghanistan, the return of conventional military threats and the election of Donald J. Trump as The president of the United States.
These main events have challenged the long-term Danish output-strategy where Denmark have sought influence in NATO and especially in Washington through the high numbers of deployed soldiers in NATO’s military operations, especially in Afghanistan. The output-strategy have thereby been closely linked to bandwagoning but the changes in external environment have forced the Danish policymakers to take more concrete steps in the direction of the political intentions given in the DIP. The external changes have thereby moved the bandwagoning-strategy based primarily on output more in the direction of input which the Defense agreement 2018-2023 and the additional funding that was agreed in 2019 is a testament to.