European Security and the Former Soviet Union: Dangers, Opportunities, and Gambles

The collapse of the Soviet Union has placed a daunting list of new concerns on the West's security agenda, including ways of promoting the civilian and democratic oversight of defence policy in the successor states, disposing of tons of fissile material in Russia, defusing Russian-Ukrainian relations, and sustaining the independence of the Baltic states.
This book systematically analyses the spectrum of new security problems and suggests how they might be addressed in the light of the fundamental goals of Western policy and the inherent uncertainties within the successor-states. Particular attention is paid to Russia as a key player in future European security, and to the contribution of NATO, the alliance primarily responsible for European security during the Cold War. The author advocates Western policies that will both encourage positive developments in the region and allow the interests of the West to survive moves towards assertive nationalism in the former Soviet Union.