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NATO Eastward Enlargement: Strategic Implications for Eurasia
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even armed conflicts. Therefore, NATO eastward enlargement is historicallyimportant act that could prove to be critical for effective conflict prevention andfor maintaining stability in the whole Eurasian space. It increases the Alliance’scapacity to more effectively influence the complex ties between Eurasian states,while remaining a major forum that integrates the countries of Central and EastEurope into a broader Euro-Atlantic security framework. Finally, this round ofenlargement will inevitably help the Alliance look beyond Europe to meet newchallenges and advance the strategic vision for the Alliance in the 21st centuryagreed to at NATO Prague Summit.
Though NATO is not anymore an alliance founded on coherent geopoliticalinterests and worldviews, its enlargement has been the defining factor in theEuropean security landscape. To keep its role as provider of collective securityand as a leader of peace and stability operations, a significantly enlarged Alliancewill have to find new ways to organize its decision making and operations if it isto maintain consensus and flexibility. It will need to take concrete steps to developa cohesive vision and strategy for managing its new relationship with Russia,address the future of the Partnership for Peace program and the relations withother non-members that share the Eurasian security space as well as for dealingwith the future challenges that come from Greater Middle East.
The strategic reshuffling in Eurasia that NATO expansion has caused poses aserious challenge to the structure of the international system and to the dynamicsof the processes within it. It has even made some analysts conclude that Eurasia isgradually losing its role of the center of world power. Whether this is a validstatement or not remains an open question.
1
Stephen Blank, The United States and Central Asia in R. Allison and L. Jonson, Eds., “Central Asian
Security. The New International Context” (Brookings Institution Press, 2001).
2
Communiqué, NATO Ministerial, May 14, 2002.
3
Sean L. Yom, Geopolitics in Central Asia: the SCO and its Future, The Journal of World Affairs and
New Technologies, Vol. 5, Number 4 Quarterly, NY: October 2002.
4
Owen Lattimore, Pivot of Asia: Sinking and the Inner Asian Frontiers of China and Russia (Boston:
Liitle, Brown, 1950), p. 32.
5
Zevelev, Igor NATO’s Enlargement and Russian Perceptions of Eurasian Political Frontiers, George
Marshall European Center for Security Studies, 1998.
6
Cohen, Ariel A New Paradigm for U.S.-Russian Relations: Facing the Post-Cold War Reality,
Backgrounder #1105, March 6, 1999, p. 5.
7
Du, Youkang, Internationalization of Afghanistan’s Civil War and Its Impacts, in Zhang, X. and
Gancheng Zhao, eds. The Post Cold War World, Shanghai: Shanghai Institute for International Studies,2000, p. 315.
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| | Authors: Minchev, Ognyan. |
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14
even armed conflicts. Therefore, NATO eastward enlargement is historically
important act that could prove to be critical for effective conflict prevention and
for maintaining stability in the whole Eurasian space. It increases the Alliance’s
capacity to more effectively influence the complex ties between Eurasian states,
while remaining a major forum that integrates the countries of Central and East
Europe into a broader Euro-Atlantic security framework. Finally, this round of
enlargement will inevitably help the Alliance look beyond Europe to meet new
challenges and advance the strategic vision for the Alliance in the 21st century
agreed to at NATO Prague Summit.
Though NATO is not anymore an alliance founded on coherent geopolitical
interests and worldviews, its enlargement has been the defining factor in the
European security landscape. To keep its role as provider of collective security
and as a leader of peace and stability operations, a significantly enlarged Alliance
will have to find new ways to organize its decision making and operations if it is
to maintain consensus and flexibility. It will need to take concrete steps to develop
a cohesive vision and strategy for managing its new relationship with Russia,
address the future of the Partnership for Peace program and the relations with
other non-members that share the Eurasian security space as well as for dealing
with the future challenges that come from Greater Middle East.
The strategic reshuffling in Eurasia that NATO expansion has caused poses a
serious challenge to the structure of the international system and to the dynamics
of the processes within it. It has even made some analysts conclude that Eurasia is
gradually losing its role of the center of world power. Whether this is a valid
statement or not remains an open question.
1
Stephen Blank, The United States and Central Asia in R. Allison and L. Jonson, Eds., “Central Asian
Security. The New International Context” (Brookings Institution Press, 2001).
2
Communiqué, NATO Ministerial, May 14, 2002.
3
Sean L. Yom, Geopolitics in Central Asia: the SCO and its Future, The Journal of World Affairs and
New Technologies, Vol. 5, Number 4 Quarterly, NY: October 2002.
4
Owen Lattimore, Pivot of Asia: Sinking and the Inner Asian Frontiers of China and Russia (Boston:
Liitle, Brown, 1950), p. 32.
5
Zevelev, Igor NATO’s Enlargement and Russian Perceptions of Eurasian Political Frontiers, George
Marshall European Center for Security Studies, 1998.
6
Cohen, Ariel A New Paradigm for U.S.-Russian Relations: Facing the Post-Cold War Reality,
Backgrounder #1105, March 6, 1999, p. 5.
7
Du, Youkang, Internationalization of Afghanistan’s Civil War and Its Impacts, in Zhang, X. and
Gancheng Zhao, eds. The Post Cold War World, Shanghai: Shanghai Institute for International Studies,
2000, p. 315.
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