Original scientific paper

NATO’s Enlargement and Slovenia

Anton Bebler ; Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abstract

NATO’s enlargement into Central East Europe has been a lively debated topic for almost a decade. The highly variegated opinions and positions on this question in Europe and North America have ranged from angry denunciations, solid criticisms, serious doubts, guarded support to enthusiastic accolades. These contrasting attitudes underlined the flux and uncertainties as well as the divisibility of security in the post-Cold War era. Although Slovenia is viewed by a number of observers as a candidate in the best position to be invited by NATO at the next turn, this prospect remains uncertain. The key general problem lies in the large disparity between the desires of the remaining Central-East European candidates, including Slovenia, to join the alliance and NATO’s willingness (and some members’ clear unwillingness) to expand (it) further to the East and South-East. There is also a number of imponderables: the NATO-EU relations and the development of the European defense identity; the future of Russia; the international policies of the next US administration; the experience with the first Central East European round etc.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

27974

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/27974

Publication date:

16.1.2000.

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