Making sense of the (post-)Brexit EU: Security, stability and the future of EU’s collective security

This paper will address the situation of the European Union following the 2016 Brexit referendum. Enveloping the debates surrounding the European Union’s collective security and the role of NATO in the post 9/11 world, Brexit opened the door for a serious discussion on the transatlantic partnership of the European Union with the United States, in particular after the 2016 Presidential Election. British reluctance on European integration and their “special relationship” with the United States have always been seen as an element which hindered Europe to reach its full potential as a global actor. Brexit, if carefully and pragmatically assessed, can signify an opportunity for the European Union to behave in a more cohesive manner on ensuring its collective security, either in the form of a European Common Defence Programme, or in the form of a reformed/reimagined NATO.