V. The return of history.

This book analyzes major contemporary political and security problems in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Presenting case studies on various CEE countries, it highlights the persistence of non-democratic political trends in the region, with particular emphasis on authoritarianism in Belarus and the illiberal shift in the politics of Hungary and Poland. Also, the book examines the growing geopolitical and military rivalry between the West and Russia in the CEE region, which led to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. After addressing the increasing involvement of external entities such as NATO, the EU, the USA, Germany, France, and China, it highlights serious internal and external challenges to the democratic institutions and international security of CEE that call for new formats of multilateral cooperation to be established by the region’s countries. This book is intended for scholars and students of European politics, international relations and security studies, and for anyone interested in the political and security challenges facing the CEE region.

The series, Austrian Studies in English, founded in 1895 and comprising some 250 volumes since its inception, offers a platform for the publication of important studies concerned with the languages, the literatures and cultures of anglo-phone countries.

The post-cold war security landscape is changing almost daily. Gone is the monolithic threat from a communist bloc led by the Soviet Union. In its place are scores of new concerns: the challenge of system transformation and political and economic reconstruction in central and eastern Europe; the re-emerging threats of ethnic conflict from the former Yugoslavia to the new central Asian republics; and, perhaps most important, the problems associated with the reconstruction of the Russian superpower—including economic and political instability, the threat from the right, the safety of nuclear stockpiles, and the nation's legitimate security interests as it attempts to regain influence. As these threats change, so must existing European security institutions. In this book, Catherine Kelleher examines emerging trends in post-cold war European security. She provides an overview of existing security structures and relationships and of the dynamics of changes within them. She offers insightful analysis into the strengths and weaknesses of the these structures, as well as the challenges to closer cooperation. Kelleher details recent events in Europe's most important security institutions—NATO, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), and the Western European Union (WEU)—with special emphasis on new programs being designed to fit the changing landscape, programs like the Partnership for Peace, the Eurocorps, and the Combined/Joint Task Forces. She examines how they have responded to events in central and eastern Europe—from economic and security outreach efforts toward the emerging democracies to the response of these institutions to the Gulf and Yugoslav crises. Kelleher concludes with policy prescriptions that will make a significant contribution to the ongoing debate about the future of European security—where it is going and the best way to get there—and America's central role in that future.