The Challenge of Military Reform in Postcommunist Europe

The Challenge of Military Reform in Postcommunist Europe
Author: A. Forster
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2002-10-23
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 140391429X

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.

Civil-Military Relations in Post-Communist Europe

Civil-Military Relations in Post-Communist Europe
Author: Timothy Edmunds
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2013-10-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317970438

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.

Soldiers and Societies in Postcommunist Europe

Soldiers and Societies in Postcommunist Europe
Author: A. Forster
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2003-09-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0230523080

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.

Army and State in Postcommunist Europe

Army and State in Postcommunist Europe
Author: David Betz
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2014-04-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1135310947

This study explores the complex military issues that are raised by the transition to post-communist rule with particular reference to Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and the new members of NATO. All faced similar problems yet their responses, it emerges, were surprisingly diverse.

Post-Cold War Defense Reform

Post-Cold War Defense Reform
Author: Istvan Gyarmati
Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.
Total Pages: 608
Release: 2011
Genre: History
ISBN: 1612342353

Presents case studies of defense reform initiatives in more than twenty countries.

Defense Reform in Central Europe and the Challenges of NATO Membership

Defense Reform in Central Europe and the Challenges of NATO Membership
Author: Brad A. Gutierrez
Publisher:
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2002
Genre: History
ISBN:

Since the end of communism in Central Europe, the former Soviet satellite states have sought closer relations with the West. An immediate goal was membership in NATO. To meet the conditions of membership, the former Warsaw Pact members had to make significant reforms within their defense establishments that would meet NATO's interoperability requirements. Despite the incentive of potential NATO membership, the development and implementation of such reforms has been slow. The objective of this study is to answer the research question," Why has defense reform proven so elusive in an environment where key actors agree on the desirability, necessity, and the benefits of its formulation and implementation?"

Democratic Control of the Military in Postcommunist Europe

Democratic Control of the Military in Postcommunist Europe
Author: A. Cottey
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2001-11-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1403905231

This major comparative study examines the challenges that the countries of postcommunist Central and Eastern Europe have faced in securing democratic control of their armed forces and establishing civilian control of defence policy. This book explores how the interaction of the common challenges of postcommunism and the diverse circumstances of individual countries shape civil-military relations in this changing region. Detailed country case studies, written by leading experts, compare the experiences of the Central European states (such as Poland and Romania), the Baltic republics, the former Yugoslavia republics, Russia and Ukraine.

East European Military Reform After the Cold War

East European Military Reform After the Cold War
Author: Thomas S. Szayna
Publisher:
Total Pages: 49
Release: 1994
Genre: Europe
ISBN:

The armed forces were among the institutions most profoundly affected by the collapse of communist rule throughout Eastern Europe. The authors focus on the process of military reform in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, examining how the process of overcoming the Soviet legacy to the militaries of the six countries has unfolded. Among the troublesome aspects of this topic, the report discusses the tensions that emerged in civil-military relations, the effects of personnel disruptions, and the problems encountered in the restructuring and modernization of forces. The authors consider the implications of these developments for the United States and offer some recommendations for policies to further encourage and consolidate the process of military reform in Eastern Europe.

The Evolution of Civil-Military Relations in South East Europe

The Evolution of Civil-Military Relations in South East Europe
Author: Philipp H. Fluri
Publisher: Physica
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2009-09-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9783790822120

This book, authored by a multi-national team, draws a complicated, yet logically evolving picture of the problems in the security sector reform field of South-East Europe, examining the post-totalitarian and post-conflict challenges to be faced.

The Politics of Military Reform in Post-Suharto Indonesia

The Politics of Military Reform in Post-Suharto Indonesia
Author: Marcus Mietzner
Publisher:
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2006
Genre: History
ISBN:

This study discusses the process of military reform in Indonesia after the fall of Suharto?s New Order regime in 1998. The extent of Indonesia?s progress in this area has been the subject of heated debate, both in Indonesia and in Western capitals. Human rights organizations and critical academics, on the one hand, have argued that the reforms implemented so far have been largely superficial, and that Indonesia?s armed forces remain a highly problematic institution. Foreign proponents of military assistance to Indonesia, on the other hand, have asserted that the military has undergone radical change, as evidenced by its complete extraction from political institutions. This study evaluates the state of military reform eight years after the end of authoritarian rule, pointing to both significant achievements and serious shortcomings. Although the armed forces in the new democratic polity no longer function as the backbone of a powerful centralist regime and have lost many of their previous privileges, the military has been able to protect its core institutional interests by successfully fending off demands to reform the territorial command structure. As the military?s primary source of political influence and off-budget revenue, the persistence of the territorial system has ensured that the Indonesian armed forces have not been fully subordinated to democratic civilian control. This ambiguous transition outcome so far poses difficult challenges to domestic and foreign policymakers, who have to find ways of effectively engaging with the military to drive the reform process forward.This is the twenty-third publication in Policy Studies, a peer-reviewed East-West Center Washington series that presents scholarly analysis of key contemporary domestic and international political, economic, and strategic issues affecting Asia in a policy relevant manner.