Central Europe : the new allies? : the road from Visegrad to Brussels

Originally published in 1994. In 1989 Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia began to cooperate as a regional grouping in the Warsaw Treaty Organisation(WTO). With the primary objective to cooperate with western organisations they have also worked to dismantle the WTO and the CMEA. Since 1991, they have been regarded as the Visegard Group which now includes the Slovak Republic as well as the newly named Czech Republic. The subtitle reflects the author's belief that in comparison with other WTO states, this Group of four nations are on a fast track in their objective of being a member of NATO. 1. Introduction. Developments Since 1989. The Csce: System Of Collective Security? The North Atlantic Cooperation Council (nacc). Integration. Pros And Cons Of Integration. Criteria. The Geographical Context. Security Cooperation: A First Step Toward Integration -- 2. The Historical Context. Poland. Hungary. Czechoslovakia -- 3. New Risks In A Changed Security Environment. Internal Security. External Security. Differentiation -- 4. Security Risks In Central Europe: The Scenarios. Sources Of Conflict. Conflict Areas. The Scenarios -- 5. Security And Defense Policies Of The Central European Countries. Introduction To The Evaluation Of Defense Policy: Military Doctrine And Sufficient Defense. Evaluation Of The Security And The Defense Policies. The Criteria -- 6. Cooperation Models. Multilateral Cooperation. Bilateral Cooperation -- 7. The Integration Process. Challenges And Risks. Treaty, Functional And Organizational Integration. From Cooperation Toward Integration. Implementation. The Future -- 8. Conclusions. Theo Van Den Doel. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.