Soldiers and Societies in Postcommunist Europe

Soldiers and Societies in Postcommunist Europe PDF Author: A. Forster
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230523080
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 269

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Book Description
This major comparative study examines the development of military-society relations in central and eastern Europe since the collapse of communism. Soldiers and Societies in Post-Communist Europe explores how the interaction of the common challenges of postcommunism and the diverse circumstances of individual countries are shaping patterns of military-society relations in this changing region. Detailed country case studies, written by international experts to a common analytical framework, compare the experiences of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia and Ukraine.

Soldiers and Societies in Postcommunist Europe

Soldiers and Societies in Postcommunist Europe PDF Author: A. Forster
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230523080
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 269

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Book Description
This major comparative study examines the development of military-society relations in central and eastern Europe since the collapse of communism. Soldiers and Societies in Post-Communist Europe explores how the interaction of the common challenges of postcommunism and the diverse circumstances of individual countries are shaping patterns of military-society relations in this changing region. Detailed country case studies, written by international experts to a common analytical framework, compare the experiences of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia and Ukraine.

Civil-Military Relations in Post-Communist Europe

Civil-Military Relations in Post-Communist Europe PDF Author: Timothy Edmunds
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131797042X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
Fifteen years after the fall of communism, we are able to appraise the results of the multi-faceted postcommunist transition in Central and Eastern Europe with authority. This volume specifically addresses the fascinating area of Civil-Military relations throughout this transitional period. The countries of the region inherited a onerous legacy in this area: their armed forces were part of the communist party-state system and most were oriented towards Cold War missions; they were large in size and supported by high levels of defence spending; and they were based on universal male conscription. Central and eastern European states have thus faced a three fold civil-military reform challenge: establishing democratic and civilian control over their armed forces; implementing organisational reform to meet the security and foreign policy demands of the new era; and redefining military bases for legitimacy in society. This volume assesses the experiences of Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia-Montenegro, Ukraine and Russia in these areas. Collectively these countries illustrate the way in which the interaction of broadly similar postcommunist challenges and distinct national contexts have combined to produce a wide variety of different patterns of civil-military relations. This book was previously published as a special issue of European Security.

The Challenge of Military Reform in Postcommunist Europe

The Challenge of Military Reform in Postcommunist Europe PDF Author: A. Forster
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 140391429X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 263

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Book Description
This major comparative study examines the challenges faced by countries of postcommunist Europe in reforming and professionalizing their armed forces. It explores how the interaction of the common challenges of postcommunism and the diverse circumstances of individual countries are shaping professionalization processes in this changing region. The detailed country case studies in this volume, written by leading experts to a common analytical framework, compare the experiences of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, FRY, Russia and Ukraine.

Armed Forces and Society in Europe

Armed Forces and Society in Europe PDF Author: A. Forster
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230502407
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 329

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Book Description
In the post-Cold War era, European militaries are engaged in an ongoing adaptation which is challenging relations between armed forces and the societies that they serve. This book offers an innovative conceptual framework to critically evaluate contemporary civil-military relations across the continent of Europe. It analyzes eight key issues in armed forces and society relations, to explore the scale and intensity of these changes.

In Pursuit of Liberalism

In Pursuit of Liberalism PDF Author: Rachel A. Epstein
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 0801895197
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
Though the fall of the Soviet Union opened the way for states in central and eastern Europe to join the world of market-oriented Western democracies, the expected transitions have not been as easy, common, or smooth as sometimes perceived. Rachel A. Epstein investigates how liberal ideas and practices are embedded in transitioning societies and finds that success or failure depends largely on creating a social context in which incentives held out by international institutions are viewed as symbols of an emerging Western identity in the affected country. Epstein first explains how a liberal worldview and institutions like the European Union, World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization go hand-in-hand and why Western nations assume that a broad and incremental program of incentives to join will encourage formerly authoritarian states to reform their political and economic systems. Using Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Ukraine as case studies, she demonstrates the limits of conditionality in the face of national social perceptions and elucidates the three key points around which a consensus within the state must emerge before international institutions can expect liberalization: domestic officials must be uncertain about how changing policies will affect their interests; the status of international and domestic institutions must not be in jeopardy; and the proposed polices must seem credible. In making her case, Epstein cleverly bridges the gap between the rationalist and constructivist schools of thought. Offering new data on and fresh interpretations of reforming central bank policies, privatizing banks with foreign capital, democratizing civil-military relations, and denationalizing defense policy, In Pursuit of Liberalism extends well beyond the scope of previous book-length studies.

The "Democratic Soldier"

The Author: Sabine Mannitz
Publisher: Ubiquity Press
ISBN: 1911529366
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
Since the end of the Cold War almost all European countries have reformed their armed forces, focusing on downsizing, internationalization and professionalization. This paper examines how these changes in security sector governance have affected the normative model underlying the military’s relationship to democracy, using the image of the “democratic soldier”. Drawing on a comparative analysis of 12 post-socialist, traditional and consolidated democracies in Europe, the different dimensions of the national conception of soldiering are analysed based on the official norms that define a country’s military and the ways in which individual members of the armed forces see their role. Cases converge around the new idea of professional soldiering as a merging of civilian skills with military virtues in the context of the military’s new post-Cold War missions. Yet despite this convergence, research also shows that specific aspects of national traditions and context continue to influence the actual practice of soldiering in each case. The contradictions that result between these old and new visions of the role of the military and the soldier illustrate the tensions that exist between political goals and defence reform dynamics.

The Weakness of Civil Society in Post-Communist Europe

The Weakness of Civil Society in Post-Communist Europe PDF Author: Marc Morjé Howard
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521011525
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Seeks to explain the weakness of civil society in the countries of post-Communist Europe.

Where Have All the Soldiers Gone?

Where Have All the Soldiers Gone? PDF Author: James J. Sheehan
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780547086330
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
An eminent historian offers a sweeping look at Europes tumultuous 20th century, showing how the rejection of violence after World War II transformed a continent.

Electoral Systems and Political Transformation in Post-Communist Europe

Electoral Systems and Political Transformation in Post-Communist Europe PDF Author: S. Birch
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1403938768
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
Electoral Systems and Political Transformation in Post-Communist Europe assesses the influence of electoral systems on political change in 20 post-communist European states. The main finding is that electoral institutions have systematic effects on the formation of representative structures. 'Party-enabling' aspects of electoral laws such as list proportional representation tend to foster popular inclusion in politics and institutionalized party systems, whereas 'politician-enabling' rules such as single-member districts and ballots that allow voters to select individuals often favour the development of weakly structured systems and high levels of popular exclusion from the representative process.

Europeanization and Regionalization in the EU's Enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe

Europeanization and Regionalization in the EU's Enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe PDF Author: J. Hughes
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230503187
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
This book is a study of EU conditionality and compliance during the enlargement to the Central and Eastern European candidate countries. EU conditionality for membership is widely understood as having been a driving force for Europeanization, providing incentives and sanctions for compliance or non-compliance with EU norms, such as the 'Copenhagen Criteria' and the adoption of the acquis communautaire . By taking regional policy and regionalization as a case study, this book provides a comparative analysis of the effects of conditionality on the Central and East European countries and explores the many paradoxes and weaknesses in the use of EU conditionality over time.