Information Package
baskent.edu.tr

Program of Political Science and International Relations (English 30%)

PSIR357

EUROPEAN SECURITY, STRATEGIC CULTURE AND DEFENCE INDUSTRY

Course Code
PSIR357
Semester
-
Theory+Practice
3 + 0
ECTS
5
Course TypeElective Course
Course LevelBachelor's Degree
Year of Study-
Semester-
ECTS5
Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

  1. Explain the defense industry dimension of the European security architecture, along with its historical and institutional development,
  2. Apply the concept of strategic culture to the analysis of European security and the defense industry,
  3. Evaluate NATO-EU relations and debates on European strategic autonomy.
  4. Analyze how different strategic cultures, using the examples of France, Germany, the United Kingdom (and Turkey), shape defense industry preferences and, consequently, security policies,
  5. Interpret the integration process of the European defense industry through companies such as BAE Systems, Airbus Defence (EADS), Thales, and MBDA, and
  6. Will be able to evaluate Europe?s rearmament process following the Russia-Ukraine War within the context of the defense industry and strategic culture.
  7. Will be able to analyze the impact of defense industry capabilities, sanctions, and embargoes on security policies,
  8. Will be able to prepare brief analysis notes, case studies, and research reports.
Mode of DeliveryFace to face
PrerequisitesNo
Recommended Optional Programme ComponentsNo recommended optional programme components.
Course DescriptionThis course aims to examine the transformation of the European security architecture within the framework of strategic culture, NATO- and EU-based defense industry institutions, defense industry firms, NATO-EU relations, and, finally, debates on strategic autonomy/self-reliance in selected states. The course covers the evolution of the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) into the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), as well as NATO-EU relations, European strategic autonomy, defense industry integration, corporate mergers, joint production programs, strategic technologies, and supply chain vulnerabilities. Using the examples of France, Germany, the United Kingdom (and Turkey), the course analyzes how differences in national strategic cultures influence defense industry preferences, military technology investments, alliance relations, and the integration of the European defense industry. Recent developments?including Europe?s rearmament following the Russia-Ukraine war, the need for ammunition and air defense systems, NATO?s transformation (NATO 3.0), competition over critical technologies, and strategic dependencies?constitute the course?s current focus. Within this framework, the course evaluates European defense integration not merely as a political, institutional, or economic process, but as a political and strategic arena of transformation shaped by national strategic cultures, sovereignty concerns, alliance preferences, and the interests and outputs of national defense industries.
Course Contents
WEEK TOPICS
1st Week Why Should European Security Be Considered in Conjunction with the Defense Industry?
2nd Week The Historical Background of the European Security Architecture. Post-Cold War European Security: From Maastricht to Saint-Malo
3rd Week The Emergence of the ESDP/CSDP and the European Security Strategy. NATO-EU Relations and the Debate on Strategic Autonomy
4th Week Strategic Culture and European Security
5th Week National Strategic Cultures I: France and Germany
6th Week National Strategic Cultures II: the United Kingdom and Turkey
7th Week Midterm Exam
8th Week The Interaction Between the Defense Industry and the European Security Architecture
9th Week The Structural Transformation of the European Defense Industry: Fragmentation, Integration, and Competition
10th Week Defense Industry Case Studies: BAE Systems, Airbus Defense (EADS), Thales, and MBDA
11th Week The Russia-Ukraine War and Europe?s Rearmament: The Impact of Sanctions and Embargoes on European Security
12th Week Project Presentations
13th Week Project Presentations
14th Week Project Presentations
Recommended or Required ReadingKeser, Ahmet. 2020. Stratejik Kültür ve Ülke İncelemeleri. Ankara: Berikan Yayınevi.
Balyemez, Ahmet Sinan. 2023. Dünyada ve Türkiye'de Savunma ve Güvenlik Ekonomisi. Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık.
Erboğa, Abdullah. 2019. Türkiye?nin Stratejik Silah Kapasitesi. SETA Vakfı İktisadi İşletmesi.
Egeli, Sıtkı. 2026. Füze ve İHA Tehditleri ile Füze ve İHA Savunmasında Yaşanan Gelişmelerin Savunma Sanayii ve Tedarik Zincirleri Üzerindeki Etkileri. Global Academy, Küresel Stratejik Öngörü No: 7.
Noı, Aylin Ünver. 2024. Rusya-Ukrayna Savaşının Avrupa Güvenliği, Transatlantik İlişkiler ve Nato?ya Etkisi. SETA Analiz.-Ankara 406, 14.
Körpe, Özgür. 2022. Japonya ve Almanya Savunma Sanayilerinin Yeniden Yapılanmasından Çıkarılan Dersler. Elektronik Siyaset Bilimi Araştırmaları Dergisi 13.25, s.22-40.
Sapmaz, Ahmet. 2022. Türkiye-Birleşik Krallık (İngiltere) İlişkilerinin Güvenlik ve Savunma Sanayi Boyutu. Cappadocia Journal of Area Studies 4 (2): 152-74.
Sezgin, Şennur, ve Selami Sezgin. 2018. Dünya?da ve Türkiye?de Savunma Sanayi: Genel Bir Bakış. Avrasya Sosyal ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi 5 (12): 1-19.
Yılmaz, Tuğrul Oğuzhan. 2018. Türkiye-Afrika İlişkilerinin Güvenlik Boyutu: Türk Savunma Sanayii ve Afrika. Türk Dünyası Araştırmaları 120 (237): 41-66.
Andersson, J. J., & Britz, M. 2025. The European Union?s role in European defence industry policy. Defence Studies, 25(2), 322-341. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14702436.2025.2472694
Andersson, J. J. 2023. Building Weapons Together (or Not): How to strengthen the European defence industry. European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS). http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep54956
Andersson, J. J. 2015. European defence collaboration. Back to the future, Brief, 19. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep06830.pdf
Angelov, K. O. 2015. The integration role of european defense procurement in achieving a more competitive and stronger european defense equipment market. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. https://calhoun.nps.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/b9cff73d-b80a-410c-a4a4-b55f918e143b/content.
Barmeyer, C., & U. Mayrhofer. 2008. The contribution of intercultural management to the success of international mergers and acquisitions: An analysis of the EADS (Airbus Defence) Group. International Business Review, 17(1), 28-38.
Becker, S. 2013. Germany and war: Understanding strategic culture under the Merkel government. L?institut de recherche strategique de l?Ecole militaire (IRSEM), 13, 1-80. https://www.irsem.fr/storage/file_manager_files/2025/03/2013-9-paris-paper-becker-germany.pdf
Bellais, R. 2022. MBDA?s industrial model and European defence. Defence and Peace Economics, 33 (7), 2022, 876?893. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10242694.2021.1926176.
Biava, A., Drent, M., & Herd, G. P. (2011). Characterizing the European Union's strategic culture: An analytical framework. JCMS: journal of common market studies, 49(6), 1227-1248.
Biehl, H. & B. Giegerich & A. Jonas. 2013. Strategic cultures in Europe: Security and defence policies across the continent, Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 1?407.
Brzoska, M. 2014. Defence industry restructuring and consolidation in Europe. In Andrew T. H. Tan (Ed.), The global arms trade - A handbook (pp. 221-234). Routledge.
Calcara, A., A. Gilli, and M. Gilli. 2023. Short-Term Readiness, Long-Term Innovation: The European Defence Industry in Turbulent Times. Defence Studies 23 (4): 626?643. https://doi.org/10.1080/14702436.2023.2277439.
Calcara, Antonio, and Luis Simon. 2025. Face to face: France, Germany and the future of the European defence industry. Journal of European Public Policy 32.6, 1389-1413.
Clapp, S. & M. Höflmayr . 2025. Building a common market for european defence. EPRS - European Parliamentary Research Service.
Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
  • Lecture
  • Presentation
  • Discussion
  • Questions/Answers
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Quantity Percentage (%)
Mid-term 1 20
Assignment 2 20
Project 1 30
Total(%) 70
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%) 70
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%) 30
Total(%) 100
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration (Hour) Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam 1 1.5 1.5
Preparation for Quiz
Individual or group work 14 2 28
Preparation for Final exam 1 30 30
Course hours 14 3 42
Preparation for Midterm exam 1 20 20
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam 1 1.5 1.5
Homework 1 12 12
Project 1 15 15
Total Work Load150
Total Work Load / 30 (h)5
ECTS Credit of the Course5
Language of InstructionTurkish
Work Placement(s)No

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8
K1 X
K2 X
K3 X
K4 X
K5
K6
K7
K8 X
K9 X
K10 X X
K11 X
K12 X X
K13