Abstract
Following the end of the Cold War, NATO decided to expand its membership to Central and Eastern European countries. In the 1990s, the Alliance opened its door to the former members of the Warsaw Pact as part of a strategy of uniting Europe and recasting NATO for the post-Cold War era. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, even former Soviet states like the Baltics joined the Alliance. The enlargement took place mainly because the US made it a prominent strategic priority. Washington promoted the enlargement in the face of opposition from Russia. Western European allies gave conditioned support to the Open Door policy. The dual-track approach pursued by NATO in dealing with Moscow while reassuring candidates and new member states proved to be contradictory. The essay intends to investigate the historical dynamics of the enlargement, particularly the first round in 1999, with a view on the possible prosecution of the process.
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- 1.
See the dispatch sent by the British Ambassador to the United States, Renwick, on 14 January 1993. TNA. PREM 19/4496.
- 2.
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Secretary Christopher’s meeting with President Yeltsin. 22 October 1993. William J. Clinton Digital Library. https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/100538.
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See the memorandum prepared by Lake on 22 December 1994. William J. Clinton Digital Library. https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/101137.
- 14.
See the Summary Report on One-On-One Meeting between Clinton and Yeltsin on 10 May 1995. William J. Clinton Digital Library. https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/57568.
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See the letter sent by Clinton on 8 February 1996. William J. Clinton Digital Library. https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/101238.
- 16.
See the letter sent by Yeltsin on 30 January 1997. William J. Clinton Digital Library. https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/101238.
- 17.
As a compensation, the US accepted Russia as a member of the Group of Seven (G7). Moscow joined the Group—the new Group of Eight (G8)—at the Denver summit, held in June 1997.
- 18.
See the transcript of the Helsinki summit held on 21 March 1997. William J. Clinton Digital Library. https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/57569.
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See the memorandum sent by Berger to Clinton on 15 May 1997. William J. Clinton Digital Library. https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/101137.
- 20.
NATO Study on Enlargement. 3 September 1995. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_24733.htm.
- 21.
Asmus (2002) quoted Albright’s Night Note from Sintra on 30 May 1997.
- 22.
Berger to Clinton. 9 June 1997. William J. Clinton Digital Library. https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/101137.
- 23.
See the cable sent by the State Department to US Embassies in Europe on 12 June 1997. William J. Clinton Digital Library. https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/100538.
- 24.
See the transcript of the Kohl-Clinton phone call on 3 June 1997. William J. Clinton Digital Library. https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/57651.
- 25.
See the transcript of the conversation between Clinton and Solana on 7 July 1997. William J. Clinton Digital Library. https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/101162.
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See the transcript of the Clinton’s speech on 8 July 1997. William J. Clinton Digital Library. https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/9694.
- 27.
Madrid Declaration on Euro-Atlantic Security and Cooperation. 8 July 1997. https://www.nato.int/docu/pr/1997/p97-081e.htm.
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Washington Summit Communiqué. 24 April 1999. https://www.nato.int/docu/pr/1999/p99-064e.htm.
- 29.
The National Security Strategy. 1st February 2015. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2015_national_security_strategy_2.pdf.
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Acknowledgement
The author thanks Ms Camilla Sergio (Youth Atlantic Treaty Association) for contributing to the formal review of the present essay.
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Borsani, D. (2023). The Origins of the Post-Cold War NATO Enlargement: Stability Projection and Factor of Crisis. In: de Leonardis, M. (eds) NATO in the Post-Cold War Era. Security, Conflict and Cooperation in the Contemporary World. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06063-2_7
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