The Kaliningrad Challenge
The Kaliningrad Challenge

Author: Hanne-Margret Birckenbach

Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 9783825866501

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The Kaliningradskaya Oblast, Russia's Baltic enclave which soon will turn into an island amid the enlarged EU and NATO, constitutes a twofold challenge to European politics: Due to its economic, social, historical, geographical, strategic, and cultural peculiarities the detached region may become a source of instability. However, due to the same peculiarities the region also bears the potential to serve as a pilot-region for an EU-Russian partnership. To meet the latter perspective all actors concerned need to engage in a dialogue-based, coordinated, and problem-solving approach. This study provides recommendations to a wide range of actors on how to approach the Kaliningrad challenge in a proactive manner. It presents a policy paper drafted by a group of Kaliningrad experts from eight countries and is complemented by fourteen issue-oriented chapters which provide in-depth reasoning on the suggestions made by the group. Hanne-Margret Birckenbach is professor of political sciences at the University of Giessen, Germany. Christian Wellmann is deputy director of SHIP--The Schleswig-Holstein Institute for Peace Research, Germany.

The Baltic Security Puzzle
The Baltic Security Puzzle

Author: Mary N. Hampton

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2015-10-22

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 144224853X

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International experts assess the components of the Baltic security puzzle by placing the security and political interests of the states of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania within the historical, economic, and political narratives of the greater Baltic region. They first reevaluate Baltic history as a progression of conflict, partial integration, Cold War division, up to today’s efforts to build a security community. Next, they focus on economic and social relations by contrasting patterns of democratization, domestic politics, EU membership, and the economics of crime. Lastly, they analyze military security and evolving regional perceptions of threats as well as the dynamics of alliance behavior and the recent geostrategic clashes unearthed by Russia’s behavior in Ukraine.

The Kaliningrad Question
The Kaliningrad Question

Author: Richard J. Krickus

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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The only comprehensive English-language study of Kaliningrad, this invaluable book explores the history and uncertain fate of the former East Prussia. Once touted as a future Hong Kong, Russia's western-most oblast has become a black hole of social and economic decay. Often overlooked in the West, this exclave is a potential flashpoint in an already unstable region. Richard Krickus, a leading expert on Kaliningrad, fills a crucial gap by tracing its long history of unstable possession, critiquing Russian and Western policy, and mapping out possible futures for the oblast. Visit our website for sample chapters!

Post-Cold War Identity Politics
Post-Cold War Identity Politics

Author: Marko Lehti

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2004-11-23

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 1135760497

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During the past decade northern Europe has started to assume an identity of its own. Categories of East and West have become blurred, challenging as well the idea of what it means to be Nordic. Post-Cold War Identity Politics maps this process in Scandinavia. Looking at projects designed to help regional development in the Nordic countires, it assesses whether a new way of defining 'Northern-ness' is emerging. The book highlights the existence of co-existing and - to some extent - competing region-building projects in northern Europe. It demonstrates how they are all efforts by existing nations to redefine their role in Europe at a time of change, and points to how they might develop in the future.

Small States and Alliances
Small States and Alliances

Author: Erich Reiter

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-09

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 3662130009

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The book focuses on the relations between small states and alliances. It is on why, how and under what conditions states engage in alliances. What are the benefits and costs of alliances? How are the benefits and costs of alliances allocated among their members? What determines who allies with whom? Can small states still pursue their own security interests within an alliance? Can they even become integral part of an alliance? Scholars, practitioners, policy-makers and advisors from several countries discuss these issues. They address historical, empirical and theoretical topics and give policy recommendations.

The West's East
The West's East

Author: Lukas Milevski

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-06-01

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0190876328

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In 2004 the Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania - finalized their return to the West by joining NATO and the EU after definitively throwing off their 'captive nations' status by regaining independence in 1991. This has not, however, halted resurgent Russian revanchism in the region; given Russia's aggressive actions starting in Ukraine in 2014, defense of the Baltic has gained a new urgency and prominence. In The West's East, Lukas Milevski places the Baltic states in strategic and historical perspective. Through these nations' experiences, he sheds light on how independent states have been able to persist, despite being surrounded by predatory great powers. The work offers a deep overview of the region's history, from the indigenous Baltic tribes which populated it to the post-Cold War era, followed by recent political analogies of West-Russia relations. Analyses of today's strategic balance in the region indicate the various actors' geopolitical outlooks, strategic cultures, military capabilities, and non-military security vulnerabilities. As Milevski argues, the NATO-Russia relationship will play the major role in any potential conflict in the Baltic, but neutrals Finland and Sweden must also be factored into the strategic analysis. Using the logic of strategy he anticipates potential military interaction in the region step by step-from deterrence, to Russia's choice of offensive strategy, to area denial and NATO's return and break into the Baltic theater, and finally war termination-to determine the answer to the ultimate question: how much defense for the Baltic is enough? The West's East gives both experts and policymakers alike the background and framework for thinking strategically about a region that has re-emerged as a significant geopolitical concern in the Putin-Trump era.

The European Union and Border Conflicts
The European Union and Border Conflicts

Author: Thomas Diez

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2008-03-27

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 1139470752

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It is generally assumed that regional integration leads to stability and peace. This book is a systematic study of the impact of European integration on the transformation of border conflicts. It provides a theoretical framework centred on four 'pathways' of impact and applies them to five cases of border conflicts: Cyprus, Ireland, Greece/Turkey, Israel/Palestine and various conflicts on Russia's border with the EU. The contributors suggest that integration and association provide the EU with potentially powerful means to influence border conflicts, but that the EU must constantly re-adjust its policies depending on the dynamics of each conflict. Their findings reveal the conditions upon which the impact of integration rests and challenge the widespread notion that integration is necessarily good for peace. This book will appeal to scholars and students of international relations, European politics, and security studies studying European integration and conflict analysis.

Europe's New Security Challenges
Europe's New Security Challenges

Author: Heinz Gärtner

Publisher: Lynne Rienner Publishers

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 484

ISBN-13: 9781555879303

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A central point of controversy among both academics and policymakers is the nature and significance of security in the post-Cold War world. Engaging that discussion, this collection explores the new security challenges facing Europe.