America, the Baltic States and the Making of an Unlikely Security Alliance

This open access book reckons with the US-Baltic security alliance. It traces the uncertain beginnings of this partnership, illuminating how the United States, rather than Europe, became the key underwriter of Baltic security. The manuscript captures the many contradictions, setbacks and disappointments that had to be overcome on both sides of the Atlantic for these ties to mature into a formal treaty alliance. Drawing upon sizable archival material and interviews with key participants, the book's chapters illuminate America's stance and role on the questions of Baltic independence, Russian troop removal in the early 1990s, and the Baltic road to NATO. Turning to current affairs, the material scrutinizes the United States' force posture on NATO's eastern flank alongside the enduring question of alliance abandonment.

This book is open access, which means that you have free and unlimited access examines the US-Baltic alliance today looks at the implications of NATO's eastern expansion based on archival research and interviews with top policy makers

Autorentext

Dr. Andris Banka is a senior researcher at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Baltic Sea Region Research (IFZO) at the University of Greifswald in Germany. He specializes in Baltic security and transatlantic relations. He holds a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of Birmingham, UK.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: The Promise of aligning with the hegemon.- Chapter 2: Special but non-aligned: US-Baltic relations in the shadow of the Soviet collapse.- Chapter 3: Foreign troops vanish: The Russian army's removal from the Baltics.- Chapter 4: Alliance formation: The Baltics unlock NATO's door.- Chapter 5: The blood price: Small states in US-led coalitions of the willing.- Chapter 6: The Baltic contingency: NATO's evolving force posture in the region.- Chapter 7: Drawdown, exit, or enduring alliance?.