Anatomy of Post-Communist European Defense Institutions: The Mirage of Military Modernity

Description

Although the West won the Cold War, the continuation of the status quo is not a foregone conclusion. The former Soviet-aligned regions outside of Russia – Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, and others – sit atop decaying armed forces while Russian behavior has grown more and more aggressive, as evidenced by its intervention in Ukraine in recent years. Thomas Young delves into the state of these defense institutions in Central and Eastern Europe, whose resources have declined at a faster rate than their Western neighbors' due to social and fiscal circumstances at home and shifting attitudes in the wider international community. With rigorous attention to the nuances of each region's politics and policies, he documents the status of reform of these armed forces and the role that Western nations have played since the Cold War, as well as identifying barriers to success and which management practices have been most effective in both Western and Eastern capitals. This is essential reading for undergraduates and graduates studying the recent history of Europe in the post-Soviet era, as well as those professionally involved in defense governance in the region. Cover Contents Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations 1 Introduction 2 The State of Communist Defense Institutions and Armed Forces, circa 1990 3 NATO Exports Its “New Model Army”: Why It Did Not Take 4 Former Soviet Republics’ Defense Institutions 5 Former Warsaw Pact Republics’ Defense Institutions 6 Former Yugoslav Republics’ Defense Institutions 7 Building Defense Institutions: Sharpening the Western Mind 8 Reforming Western Policy and Management of Defense Reform 9 Conclusion: Getting to “Honest Defense” Appendix 1 Partnership Action Plan on Defence Institution Building (PAP-DIB) Appendix 2 U.S. Code Title 22 Security Assistance to Select Countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Fiscal Years 1999–2013 Appendix 3 Cultural Tools and Country Comparisons Notes Bibliography Index