'Janne Matlary's book is an imaginative and penetrating study of the pivotal role of the French and British axis in EU security policy by one of Norway's most creative and thoughtful political analysts. This is a thoroughly thought provoking work.'
- Christopher Coker, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics, UK
'This book is lucid and well-argued, and reminds us of the recently neglected influence of member states' national interests in the development of ESDP [...] Matlary's analysis is genuinely interesting for students of European studies and it would be essential reading in undergraduate and postgraduate courses of European integration.'
- Journal of Global Analysis
'It's always a pleasure to welcome a book which profits from both academic analysis and professional practice. Janne Haaland Matlary, Professor of International Politics at the University of Oslo and former Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway, offers just this ideal synthesis [. . .] This book is a useful corrective to both lazy theorising about the socialisation of European elites and to an unthinking disregard of the EU as an international actor [. . .] In sum, it vividly illustrates why movement towards a more credible, effective and coherent foreign, security and defence policy on the part of the Union has been so qualified to date.'
- Ben Tonra, European Security
'Matlary convincingly reaffirms the findings of those who emphasise the paramount role that EU member states and their interests play in the development of ESDP. Even more importantly, she casts some light on the hitherto comparatively under-explored influence of EU member states' publics on European security and defence dynamics [...] The latter finding in particular makes Matlary's book highly relevant for the ongoing policy-oriented debates on how to bolster the EU's potential to become an international security and defence actor that punches at its weight.'
- Millennium, Journal of International Studies