East-Central Europe After the Cold War : Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary in Search of Security

East-Central Europe after the Cold War as the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia disintegrated, restructuring their relations with the West, and the need to reform armed forces inherited from the Soviet era. This book examines how the countries of East-Central Europe responded to these challenges, from the revolutions of 1989 to the autumn of 1994. The book highlights the central national security policy choices made by the East-Central European states and analyses the forces which shaped those choices. The book primarily provides an analytical history of the East-Central European states' security policies since the end of the Cold War. It also, however, examines the overall dynamics of post-Cold War East-Central European security and assesses the position of the East-Central European states in the emerging European security order of the 1990s. The book focuses on what may be described as political-military security, i.e., issues which relate to the prospects for armed conflict and for peace (in the sense of the absence of such conflict). 2 Central to the book, however, is a recognition that the prospects for armed conflict are not determined primarily by military factors. 3 The prospects for peace are fundamentally affected by a variety of non-military factors. The character of the governments in the countries of East-Central Europe and their neighbours, issues of ethnic minority rights, possible conflicts over borders, and disputes over economic and environmental issues are examined wherever they relate to the prospects for peace in the region or affect the security policy choices of the East-Central European governments. The book focuses primarily on the national security policies of the East-Central European states, in the sense of examining the decisions and activities of their central governments. 4 While the countries of East-Central Europe face difficult domestic transitions, compared to their Balkan and former-Soviet neighbours they are internally relatively 'strong' states, where the control of national security policy remains largely in the hands of central governments and state structures. 5 Even in the case of the break-up of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, security policy and issues remained largely under the control first of the Czechoslovak government and then of the Czech and Slovak national governments, rather than becoming devolved to the sub-state level. The relative internal cohesion of the East-Central European states also means that, to a much greater extent than elsewhere in post-communist Europe, their primary security problems are external rather than internal. This book therefore focuses on external security issues and policies, rather than internal ones. The formulation of state policy, however, is a complex process, involving a wide variety of different A. Since 1989 The Countries Of East-central Europe, Poland, The Czech Republic, Slovakia And Hungary, Have Radically Transformed Their National Security Policies. East-central Europe After The Cold War Provides A Detailed Analysis Of This Transformation, Highlighting The Strategic Choices Made By The East-central European States Since The Collapse Of Communism.--book Jacket. The Book Begins By Exploring The New European Security Environment And The Security Policy Options Open To The East-central European States. It Then Examines How Poland, Czechoslovakia (and After Its Demise The Czech Republic And Slovakia) And Hungary Responded To The Dilemmas Posed By The Collapse Of The Soviet Bloc, German Unification, The Restructuring Of Their Relations With The West, The Unstable Situation On Their Eastern And Southern Borders And The Need Fundamentally To Reform Their Armed Forces. The Concluding Chapters Examine The East-central European States' Relations With The European Union And Nato And Assess The Prospects For Continued Stability In The Region.--book Jacket. Andrew Cottey. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 162-203) And Index. "The chapters dealing with the countries' security situation are informative ... an informative work."--Pal Dunay, Deputy Director, Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, Budapest The book is a detailed examination of the evolution of the national security policies of the countries of East-Central Europe - Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary - since the East European revolutions of 1989. It also analyses the Visegrad group regional cooperation process between the East-Central European states, their relations with the main European security institutions (the European Union, NATO and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe) and their position in the European security order of the 1990s 'The chapters dealing with the countries'security situation are informative...an informative work.'- Pal Dunay, Deputy Director, Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, Budapest The book is a detailed examination of the evolution of the national security policies of the countries of East-Central Europe - Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary - since the East European revolutions of 1989. It also analyses the Visegrad group regional cooperation process between the East-Central European states, their relations with the main European security institutions (the European Union, NATO and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe) and their position in the European security order of the 1990s. This text is an examination of the evolution of the national security policies of the countries of East-Central Europe - Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary - since the East European revolutions of 1989. It also analyzes the Visegrad group regional co-operation process between the East-Central European states, their relations with the main European security institutions (the European Union, NATO and the conference on security and co-operation in Europe) and their position in the European security order of the 1990s.