The flawed nature of the current European Security Strategy – drafted in 2003, with a token revision in 2008 – reflects the circumstances surrounding its conception. The ESS was developed in the aftermath of the Iraq war, amid heated debate over a proposed European constitution, in a hasty and reactive process hijacked by those who sought to position Europe as a counterweight – or even a rival power – to the United States.
起草于2003年并在2008进行过一次修订的现行欧洲安全战略（European Security Strategy，ESS）存在缺陷，其缺陷反映了其概念的所处环境。ESS是在伊拉克战争后、欧洲宪法草案引起热烈争论时发展起来的，其起草过程匆忙而被动，并被意图将欧洲定位为美国的制衡甚至敌对力量的人所把持。