Publisher's Synopsis
The starting point of Peter van Ham's analysis is to counterpose the process of integration within the EC, the disintegration of the economic, political and military structures in Eastern Europe, and to provide an assessment of the relations between the two, within an historical, theoretical framework.;The bi-polar structure of world politics prior to 1989 provided the EC with two major pressures to co-operate - the perceived threat from the Soviet Union, and the willingness of the US to shoulder much of the burden of military security. The development of the EC's relationship with Eastern Europe both before and since 1989 is therefore examined within this context.;The paradox for EC-Central European relations since 1989 is that emergent multi-polar structures have exacerbated potential difficulties, most dramatically illustrated with the break-up of Yugoslavia. The EC's ability to coordinate policy on such issues will be a significant assessment of its unity at a time of serious internal dissent over fundamental issues of policy. In conclusion, the author attempts to assess the nature of EC-Central European co-operation in the 1990s.
