It is easy to tell the story of European military incapacity over the past three decades. When the United States was eager to invade Iraq in 2003, many European countries were horrified, but there was little that they could do; some European countries, such as Spain and the United Kingdom, joined the U.S. war effort and some very conspicuously did not. The Baltics rushed to support the United States. They wanted to prove their solidarity and value to Washington.

In the beginning, for post-Cold War Europe, was Dayton, Ohio. The breakup of Yugoslavia had generated Europe’s first geopolitical crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many European countries had a vested interest in ending the conflicts that had bubbled up in the Balkans. Yet they lacked the cohesion, the common position, and the military capacity to act. A definitive round of diplomacy took place in the American Midwest—in Dayton—and the United States assumed the role of Europe’s uncontested security guarantor. To the indispensable security guarantor go the diplomatic spoils.

In the beginning, for post-Cold War Europe, was Dayton, Ohio. The breakup of Yugoslavia had generated Europe’s first geopolitical crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many European countries had a vested interest in ending the conflicts that had bubbled up in the Balkans. Yet they lacked the cohesion, the common position, and the military capacity to act. A definitive round of diplomacy took place in the American Midwest—in Dayton—and the United States assumed the role of Europe’s uncontested security guarantor. To the indispensable security guarantor go the diplomatic spoils.

It is easy to tell the story of European military incapacity over the past three decades.