Navigating the Uncertainties of Post‐disruption Dynamics in Discourse: A Case Study of the EU–UK Security Relationship After Brexit

Abstract

AbstractThe article presents a model that conceptualizes the discursive construction of post‐disruption dynamics endorsed and reproduced by the affected parties and its potential to (not) contribute to future co‐operation. Conceiving of Brexit as a prime case of a broader phenomenon of post‐disruption contexts, this paper applies this model to the empirical case of the post‐Brexit European Union (EU)–United Kingdom (UK) security co‐operation in order to reveal how considerations on Brexit‐related re‐engagement and de‐engagement in the context of the EU–UK security relationship were discursively articulated by the UK government and the European Commission in the 2016–2023 period. The findings show that despite the lack of tangible actions and a seemingly continuous string of missed opportunities, the institutional discourse production has largely fulfilled an enabling function vis‐à‐vis potential future co‐operation. At the same time, this article highlights the lingering effects of Brexit‐triggered discord.