Alliance persistence, military security, and the 2016 Brexit referendum : the case of Estonia and the United Kingdom

Abstract

Driedger assesses the development of military and security ties between Estonia and the United Kingdom between 2014 and 2018. Focusing on the 2016 Brexit referendum, he shows that, in contrast to previous assessments, these ties strengthened after the referendum. Driedger argues that this development is largely shaped by perceptions of increasing mutual alignment utility. He develops a new theoretical framework of security alignment strength and uses structured and focused comparison on a wide array of British, Estonian, and Russian sources, including interviews with defence officials and an analysis of key policy documents. As the case of Estonia resembles others in the region, this study yields crucial insights for assessing North-East European security, developing alliance theory and informing policy-making towards Russia in a time of populist crises.