Negotiating Diplomacy in the New Europe: Foreign Policy in Post-Communist Bulgaria (Library of European Studies)

As the ice around the Arctic landmass recedes progressively further each year, the territory has become a flashpoint in world affairs. New and lucrative trade routes from East to West are now becoming accessible for shipping lanes and military deployment, and the Arctic is known to be home to large gas and oil reserves. Yet the territorial boundaries of the region remain ill-defined. In response to these geographical changes the Scandinavian countries, especially Denmark and Norway, have begun staking large proprietary claims in the face of pressure from the major powers - Russia, Canada, the US and China - for the trade routes to be designated as International Waters. Here, Norwegian scholar Leif Christian Jensen shows how Norway has undergone a positional shift after declaring its assertive position on the Arctic in 2005. Its disputes with Russia have created a new foreign policy dilemma, and a new set of 'red-lines' in Norwegian policy. Is Norway, as it would like to be seen, an environmentally friendly, peaceful, 'enlightened' nation? Or does this geopolitical shift in world affairs necessitate a new and more aggressive Scandinavia? International Relations in the Arctic makes a timely contribution to the 'turn to the North' in International Relations and Political Science. Transliteration of the Bulgarian alphabet in English -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- Post-Cold War Era, 'New Europe' and Bulgarian Diplomacy -- 'New Europe' as a Concept -- Bulgarian Foreign Policy in the 'New Europe' -- Relations with Russia -- Regime Change and Bulgarian Diplomacy -- The Structure of the Book -- Chapter I (Foreign Policy in the 1980s) -- Ideological Principles of Foreign Policy -- Foreign Policy Mechanisms -- Relations with States from Outside the Region -- Bulgaria's Relations with the USSR -- Bulgaria's Relations with the West -- Relations with Pro-Soviet States of the Third World -- Bulgaria's Relations in the Balkans -- Efforts at Multilateral Cooperation -- Bilateral Relations -- a. Intra-bloc Regional Issues -- b.Nationalism -- 1.Bulgarian Turks -- 2.Bulgarian Macedonians -- c.Territorial Issues -- d.Economic Issues -- Conclusion -- Chapter II (From a People's to a Liberal Democracy) -- Introduction -- Foreign Policy Mechanisms -- Constitutional Anomalies -- The Role of Personality in Foreign Policy Making -- The Presidencies of Pet?r Stoianov and Georgi P?rvanov -- Foreign Policy Agendas of the Bulgarian Political Parties -- Foreign Policy Agenda of the BSP -- Foreign Policy Agenda of the UDF -- Foreign Policy Agenda of the NMSII/NMSP -- Foreign Policy Agenda of he CEDB -- Foreign Policy Agenda of the Ataka -- Independent Research Policy Institutes -- Evolution of Think-tanks in Bulgaria -- Minorities and Foreign Policy Making -- The Foreign Policy Agenda of the MRF -- Other Minorities -- 1. Foreign Policy Agenda of the IMRO -- 2. Foreign Policy Agenda of UMO-Ilinden -- Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Making -- Conclusion -- Chapter III (EU Accession and Bulgarian Foreign Policy Making) -- Introduction -- From Westernization to 'Europeanization' -- Bulgaria's Accession to the EU -- The Association Agreement of December 1992 -- Bulgaria's Candidacy for EU Membership -- In Search for an EU Patron State -- The B?lgarski Velikden Initiative -- International Events against EU Accession Process -- Post-Communist Europeanization and Foreign Policy Mechanisms -- Democratic Conditionality -- Foreign Policy Mechanisms -- The Role of the Foreign Policy Constitutional Actors -- The President of the Republic -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs -- The Council of European Integration -- The Chief Negotiator for EU Affairs -- The Ministry of European Affairs -- The Coordination Council -- The Core Negotiations Team -- The National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria -- The Role of Non-party Actors in Foreign Policy Making -- Conclusion -- Chapter IV (EU Accession Process and Bulgaria's Foreign Relations) -- Introduction -- Relations with International Organisations -- Bulgaria's Relations with NATO -- Bulgaria's Relations with the IMF -- Democratic Conditionality and Inter-state Relations -- Relations with Developing States in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America -- Bulgaria's Relations with the USA -- Bulgaria's Relations with the Russian Federation -- Conclusion -- Chapter V (Accession to the Euro-Atlantic Structures and Bulgaria's Balkan Policy (-ies)) -- Introduction -- Post-Cold War Balkan Policy -- Reasons for Sofia's Post-Cold War Balkan Policy -- Post-1989 Security Vacuum and Bulgarian Balkan Policy -- Post-1989 Territorial Policy towards its Balkans -- Bulgaria's Minority Policies -- Sofia's Diplomatic Activity Since 1989 -- Conclusion -- Concluding Chapter -- Bibliography -- Appendix Bulgaria has faced previously unimaginable pressures over the last two decades, as it struggles to adapt to a post-Communist landscape and to reform both state and society in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union, while facing the challenge of increased efforts by NATO and the EU to expand into this region. In Negotiating Diplomacy in the New Europe, Stefanos Katsikas sheds new light on the mechanisms and factors which have influenced the making and shaping of Bulgarian foreign policy, examining the extent to which both domestic factors and the international environment have affected its trajectory.Following the promulgation of Gorbachev's now-famous policies of glasnost and perestroika, and the fall from power of the Bulgarian Communist Party - led at the time by Todor Zhivkov - many have directly attributed Bulgaria's changes in foreign policy to the processes of democratization witnessed throughout Eastern Europe. However, although this was to some extent the case, the commonalities shared with the country's foreign policy during the Cold War era leave in question the extent to which the effects of democratization alone suffice to explain Sofia's post-communist diplomatic and strategic policies. By analysing the influencing factors of Bulgaria's foreign policy since 1989, Katsikas considers factors such as domestic policies, as well as the effects of EU and NATO efforts to expand their influence and membership.Rich in primary sources, including personal interviews with key protagonists who have dominated foreign policy-making in both communist and post-communist Bulgaria, Negotiating Diplomacy in the New Europe examines the shift of foreign relations not only within the context of post-Cold War democratization, but also the country's integration into wider Euro-Atlantic frameworks. It thus holds invaluable analysis for researchers of Europe's post-communist international relations, as well as those interested in the processes of democratization and those of foreign policy formation. Bulgaria has faced previously unimaginable pressures over the last two decades, as it struggles to adapt to a post-Communist landscape and to reform both state and society in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union, while facing the challenge of increased efforts by NATO and the EU to expand into this region. In 'Negotiating Diplomacy in the New Europe', Stefanos Katsikas sheds new light on the mechanisms and factors which have influenced the making and shaping of Bulgarian foreign policy, examining the extent to which both domestic factors and the international environment have affected its trajectory. Rich in primary sources, including personal interviews with key protagonists, Katsikas offers invaluable analysis for researchers of Europe's post-communist international relations, as well as those interested in the processes of democratization and those of foreign policy formation.