The United States and the Nato Non-extension Assurances of 1990

New Light on an Old Problem

Bibliographic Data

ID11262836
AuthorsMarc Trachtenberg (University of California, Los Angeles, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume45
Issue3
Pages162-203
Publication date2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Security (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0162-2889 • E-ISSN: 1531-4804
PublisherMIT Press - Journals (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1162/isec_a_00395
OpenAlexW3123278415
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited11

The Russian government has claimed that the Western powers promised at the end of the Cold War not to expand NATO, but later reneged on that promise. Most former officials in the West, and many scholars as well, have denied that this was the case; but other scholars, along with a handful of former officials, believe that promises to that effect were, in fact, made in 1990. So who is right? The question still has political importance: how it is answered has bearing on how we should feel about NATO expansion and, indeed, about the United States' post–Cold War policy more generally. So it makes sense to stand back and try to see where the truth lies. An examination of the debate in light of the evidence—especially evidence that the participants themselves have presented—leads to the conclusion that the Russian allegations are by no means baseless, which affects how the U.S.-Russian relationship today is to be understood

Cold war · Extension (predicate logic · Government (linguistics · Law and economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science · Economic Sanctions and International Relations · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Military and Defense Studies · Philosophy

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