The Origins of the Post-Cold War NATO Enlargement: Stability Projection and Factor of Crisis

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.