Will Nato Go East? The Debate over Enlarging the Atlantic Alliance

Bibliographic Data

ID4992345
AuthorsPeter J A Hancock, David G Haglund
Year1997
Volume52
Issue2
Pages378
Publication date1997-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal Canada s Journal of Global Policy Analysis (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-7020 • E-ISSN: 2052-465X
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/40203209
OpenAlexW1968605308
LanguageEN
Citations received9

Seldom has an issue split the Western policy community as dramatically as the debate over NATO enlargement. Not only does the issue bring to the fore much that has been latent in post-Cold War power relationships; the participants in the debate enter with their favourite luggage in hand: forecasts of Russian behaviour, definitions of Europe and its institutions, trans-Atlantic futures, the appropriate role for the United States, and of course one or another sub-text about Germany. This useful collection knows where it stands on NATO enlargement and is perhaps the livelier for its advocacy of scepticism about the merits (contributors from Warsaw, Prague, or Budapest need not have applied), of caution in the process, and of a profound concern for the impact of enlargement on stability in Europe. Although the volume was conceived over two years ago, the papers stand up remarkably well, even in light of recent developments, with the July NATO summit in Madrid just weeks away and ratification procedures (of various kinds) probable during the second half of the year. One of the reasons the debate is so vivid and partisan is the fundamental disagreement which it provokes over basic judgments: enlargement is essential/fatal for the future of NATO; it will promote/undermine the security of central Europe; it will reaffirm/terminate United States engagement in Europe; and it will dampen/inflame irredentist urges in Moscow. Although the essays in this volume consider these and many other elements in play, a common thread is the virtually unanimous view that, throughout the alliance, there has been an unfortunate absence of analysis and debate, particularly among parliamentarians, media, and the public at large. While the arguable premise that underlies this point is that 'greater awareness of the problem's complexities will weaken the public's overall support for the broadening of the alliance' (Wolf, p 215), the authors correctly suggest a certain democratic deficit in the process so far. The volume is structured in two parts: five chapters of broad theoretical and policy papers are followed by four case studies of the issue as seen from the United States, Canada, France, and Germany. David Haglund tests NATO enlargement against certain theoretical concepts of alliances and institutions, while charting in skilful terms the 'evolution of an idea.' David Law and Neil MacFarlane address NATO as a regional security organization, considering linkages with the European Union, the Western European Union, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, as well as the existing functions of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council and Partnership for Peace

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