NATO Enlargement 2000 - 2015: Determinants and Implications for Defense Planning and Shaping

by Thomas S. Szayna

In the 1990s, NATO began a course of enlargement and transformation to remain relevant in Europe's post Cold War security environment. As part of its commitment to enlargement, it admitted three new members―Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic in 1999 and has plans to admit more countries in the future. NATO's enlargement has profound military implications for the U. S. and its allies in terms of future planning and shaping strategies. Both have been driven primarily by political imperatives, not by a sense of direct threat, but by an environment-shaping agenda of democratization and integration. This report develops and applies an analytical framework for thinking about the determinants of future NATO enlargement, the specific defense challenges they pose, and shaping policies that might aid in addressing these challenges.

165 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jeremy]

I actually only read sections of this book, not the entire thing, and I really don't think I'll finish the rest. The reason for this is primarily that the book (study) was published in early early-mid 2001, but it's a contemporary analysis of the security environment in Europe and factors that lead to NATO membership.

In other words, it was written and published prior to 9/11, so the security environment it discusses is no longer so relevant today. The pending members it examines have typically already become part of NATO during the last couple of rounds of expansion. While it accomplished what it set out to do back when it was written, it's very dated now. There are much more current works available if you're looking for information on NATO expansion.