A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of European NATO Members’ Involvement in Afghan Operations

Abstract

This article seeks to explain the significant variation of the levels of
European NATO member states’ contributions to Afghan combat and
reconstruction operations. The first part presents the theories used in
the study and six hypotheses, which are tested using a fuzzy-set
qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). This sophisticated method, which
was introduced to the social sciences by Charles Ragin, uses a special
software to find combinations of independent variables which may
explain the dependent variable with a given probability. The findings
are presented in the second part, followed by three short case studies of
Greece, the Netherlands and Estonia which provide a further insight into
the issue. The study concludes that the most plausible explanation of high
level of involvement in Afghanistan is a conjunction of allegiance to the
„new Europe“ and dependence on importation of russian gas.