A new globally significant relationship arising after the break-up of the Soviet Union is the main topic of this unparalleled volume – the geopolitical link between Russia, Ukraine and the three bordering ‘Central European’ states, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. On the Edge is a path-breaking analysis of this triangular relationship with an in-depth focus on economic, political and, more importantly, security issues.

The expansion of NATO up to Ukraine’s borders is likely to leave Ukraine in a delicate position vis-à-vis Russia. On the Edge addresses key questions, such as: how are events in Ukraine affecting the security calculations of the Central European states; Central European relations with Russia and NATO; and relations among Central European states themselves? The volume examines what Central European states can do to solidify Ukraine’s independence and help it avoid international isolation.

On the Edge gives a Central European perspective on all these issues and suggests concrete forms of co-operation.

Margarita M. Balmaceda is Professor of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University, USA, and former Marie Curie Fellow at the Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland.

List of Contributors

Acknowledgements

List of Tables

 

Preface by Margarita M. Balmaceda




1. Ukraine, Central Europe, and Russia in a New International Environment (by Margarita M. Balmaceda)

The Political and Geopolitical Context of the Triangle

Ukraine in Writings about International Relations and International Relations Theory: the State of the Literature

Ukraine, Central Europe, and Russia in Contemporary Debates on International Relations




2. The Warsaw–Kyiv–Moscow Security Triangle (by Marek Calka)

Entangled Roots

1989–92: The Two-track Policy

1992–93: Lost Opportunities?

The Period of Reappraisals: Polish–Ukrainian Relations 1994–95

Relations with Russia 1994–95

1996–97: The Building of a National Consensus on Poland’s Eastern Policy

Conclusion

Afterword

 

3. The Slovak–Ukrainian–Russian Security Triangle (by Alexander Duleba)

A Prehistory of Relations: The Split of Czechoslovakia and Slovakia’s ‘Eastern Pragmatism’

Slovakia’s Foreign Policy Concept and Current International Position: The Role of the Triangle

Slovak–Russian Relations, 1993–97

Slovak–Ukrainian Relations, 1993–97

The Pattern of Relations

Afterword

 

4. The Hungarian–Ukrainian–Russian Triangle: Not Like Rubik’s Cube (by László Póti)

From Subordination to Normalcy: Hungarian–Russian Relations, 1990–97

From Promise to Reality: Hungarian–Ukrainian Relations, 1990–97

Comparison




5. Economic Relations and the Ukrainian–Central European–Russian Triangle (by Margarita M. Balmaceda)

Introduction

Raw Materials and Energy

Russian Debts and the Means for their Settlement

Military Technology

Russian Capital in Central Europe

Trade, Free Trade Zones, and Russia’s Use of Economic Instruments

The Role of Interest Groups in the Economic Triangle

Conclusion

 

6. The Triangle with Five Sides: Patterns of Relations between Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, and Russia (by László Póti)

Introduction

Prehistory

Foreign Policy Concepts and Perceptions

Evolution of Political Relations

Patterns of Political Relations

The Security Dimension

Regional Cooperation

Domestic Context

The Minority Issue

 

7. The Ukrainian–Central European Borderland after NATO Expansion: Wall, Fortress, or Open Door? (by Margarita M. Balmaceda)

Russian–Ukrainan–Central European Relations and the European Security Question

What We Have Learned from the Triangle?

The Ukrainian–Central European Relationship after NATO and EU Expansion: New Walls or New Backdoors?

 

Index