Kieler Analysen zur Sicherheitspolitik Nr. 26: Regional Security as a Driver of Institutional Change in post-Communist Countries? Empirical Evidence on NATO Accession Incentives
Regional Security as a Driver of Institutional Change in post-Communist Countries? Empirical Evidence on NATO Accession Incentives
A potential influence of NATO on institutional change was widely discussed in the course of NATO enlargement to Eastern Europe (Jureković, Malek et al. 1999; Rupnik 2000; Reiter 2001; Waterman, Zagorcheva et al. 2001; Epstein 2005). Some authors supported a “strategy first” view, arguing that NATO enlargement was not driven by a common commitment to democratic principles, as the Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) that applied for membership in the early 1990s had been already committed to democracy well before the “carrot” of NATO membership was offered (Reiter 2001; Sjursen 2004). Other authors, however, argue that especially “democratic security” offered by NATO was one precondition for the consolidation of democracy in CEECs (Rupnik 2000).