Naval War College Review Volume 71 Article 4 Number 3 Summer 2018 Into the Abyss?: European Naval Power in the Post–Cold War Era Jeremy Stöhs Follow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review Recommended Citation Stöhs, Jeremy (2018) "Into the Abyss?: European Naval Power in the Post–Cold War Era," Naval War College Review: Vol. 71 : No. 3 , Article 4. Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol71/iss3/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Stöhs: Into the Abyss?: European Naval Power in the Post–Cold War Era INTO THE ABYSS? European Naval Power in the Post–Cold War Era Jeremy Stöhs ince the end of the Cold War, European sea power—particularly its naval element—has undergone drastic change�1 The dissolution of the Soviet Union Snot only heralded a period of Western unilateralism but also put an end to previ- ous levels of military investment� In fact, once the perceived threat that Soviet forces posed had disappeared, many Western governments believed that the era of great-power rivalry and major-power wars finally had come to an end�2 Rather than necessitating preparation for war, the security environment now ostensibly allowed states to allocate their funds to other areas, such as housing, education, and health