With wavering US support and Brexit unfolding, cooperation between Germany, the EU's economic powerhouse, and the United Kingdom, Western Europe's prime military power, becomes crucial for Europe's overall ability to deal with a resurgent Russia. Does institutional and normative disintegration between states, such as the Brexit process, weaken bilateral security cooperation? This article argues that such cooperation persists if both states continue to jointly perceive a third actor as threatening while regarding each other as useful and reliable when it comes to ameliorating this shared threat. The argument is tested on a case of intrinsic theoretical, historical, and political importance: British-German cooperation towards Russia before and after the 2016 Brexit referendum. The article finds, against a wide pessimist consensus to the contrary, that cooperation strengthened during the Brexit process. As the Ukraine crisis had caused converging threat perceptions since 2014, Brexit incentivised both sides to signal ongoing reliability to each other and, consequently, to view each other as more capable allies. The article combines qualitative comparisons and congruence analysis, drawing data from British, German and Russian primary sources in their respective original languages, including foreign and security policy documents as well as interviews with stakeholders involved in policy formation.

中文翻译：

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尽管分崩离析，双边防务和安全合作：英国和德国在俄罗斯问题上是否存在分歧？

随着美国支持的摇摆不定和英国脱欧的展开，欧盟经济强国德国与西欧主要军事大国英国之间的合作对于欧洲应对复苏的俄罗斯的整体能力至关重要。国家之间的制度和规范解体，例如英国脱欧进程，是否会削弱双边安全合作？本文认为，如果两国继续共同认为第三方行为者具有威胁性，同时在缓解这种共同威胁方面彼此认为彼此有用且可靠，则这种合作将持续存在。该论点在一个具有内在理论、历史和政治重要性的案例上进行了检验：2016 年英国脱欧公投前后英德对俄罗斯的合作。文章发现，与广泛的悲观共识相反，在英国退欧进程中加强了合作。由于自 2014 年以来乌克兰危机导致威胁认知趋同，英国脱欧激励双方向对方发出持续可靠的信号，从而将对方视为更有能力的盟友。这篇文章结合了定性比较和一致性分析，从英国、德国和俄罗斯的主要来源中提取了各自原始语言的数据，包括外交和安全政策文件以及对参与政策制定的利益相关者的采访。将彼此视为更有能力的盟友。这篇文章结合了定性比较和一致性分析，从英国、德国和俄罗斯的主要来源中提取了各自原始语言的数据，包括外交和安全政策文件以及对参与政策制定的利益相关者的采访。将彼此视为更有能力的盟友。这篇文章结合了定性比较和一致性分析，从英国、德国和俄罗斯的主要来源中提取了各自原始语言的数据，包括外交和安全政策文件以及对参与政策制定的利益相关者的采访。