This is the second of three books by Jeffrey Simon on emerging post-communist countries to recently join NATO. As with the previous volume (Hungary), this book represents a tremendous amount of first hand research grounded in primary source material and personal interviews with key civil and military leaders. Visit our website for sample chapters!

This clear, objective introduction to the politics of Czechoslovakia and the successor Czech and Slovak Republics provides a comprehensive analysis of Czechoslovakia in the postcommunist period. Carol Leff builds a framework for understanding the dynamics of the "triple transition": democratization, marketization, and a national transformation that has reconfigured the dynamic between state and nation. She shows how the interaction of these three transformational agendas has shaped Czechoslovakia's development, ultimately culminating in the paradoxical disintegration of a state that most of its citizens wished to preserve. The book offers a valuable case study of a country coming back to Europe, but it also provides an opportunity for analyzing the influence of communism on what had been a significant interwar European state. The book's strong comparative element will make it invaluable as well for those seeking to understand contemporary Central and Eastern Europe.

Describes the history, features and places of interest of the Czech and Slovak Republics, including travel tips and maps.

Since the revolutions of 1989-1990, most Central and Eastern European states have been striving to adhere to Euro-Atlantic institutions; and when NATO developed its own 'criteria' for membership, democratic control of the military was considered an essential precondition. Based on firsthand participatory and observational insight, Hungary and NATO: Problems in Civil-Military Relations closely follows Hungary's early work to secure an invitation to join the Alliance in July 1997, preparations for accession in March 1999, and its first four years as a NATO ally. While charting the successes, shortcomings, and continuing challenges faced in its quest to become a full NATO member, Jeffrey Simon presents a comprehensive and original study of civil-military relations in Hungary and simultaneously provides a conceptual framework of civil-military relations that draws upon the lessons of post-communist transition in the entire Central and East European region.

The contributors to this book set out to show that NATO's post-Cold War troubles are largely self-generated and almost exclusively "eastern". They focus in particular on the issue of what to do with the former Yugoslavia.

Following the passage of the fifteenth and twentieth anniversaries of the entry of many former communist states into both NATO and the EU in 2019, this book takes a comprehensive look at the changed security conditions of these new member states. How has NATO and EU membership improved their overall defence protection, and what elements are still missing for them on an individual state basis? Utilising alliance politics theory, convergence/divergence theory and defence policy theory, the book provides an invaluable assessment of defence policies, from the stable East Central European states to the most jeopardised Baltic states in the north of Europe. With chapters on the Cold War defence conditions during the last two decades of Soviet domination, post 1989–91 transformations in the direction of democracy and the impact of the 2014 Ukraine–Russia–Crimea crisis, this book is essential reading for those seeking to understand the changed landscape of European politics in the twenty-first century.

Insight Guides, the world's largest visual travel guide series, in association with Discovery Channel, the world's premier source of nonfiction entertainment, provides more insight than ever. From the most popular resort cities to the most exotic villages, Insight Guides capture the unique character of each culture with an insider's perspective. Inside every Insight Guide you'll find:.Evocative, full-colour photography on every page.Cross-referenced, full-colour maps throughout.A brief introduction including a historical timeline .Lively, essays by local writers on the culture, history, and people.Expert evaluations on the sights really worth seeing.Special features spotlighting particular topics of interest.A comprehensive Travel Tips section with listings of the best restaurants, hotels, and attractions, as well as practical information on getting around and advice for travel with children