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Beyond compromise: towards the Europeanization of NATO’s Eastern Flank

NATO’s post-Cold War enlargement promised a stable and prosperous future for Central and Eastern Europe. Yet compromises meant to accommodate Russia left the Alliance’s Eastern Flank exposed for years. Today, with renewed uncertainty in transatlantic politics, European allies face the challenge of strengthening deterrence without relying too heavily on the United States.

September 25, 2025 - Eoin Micheál McNamara - Issue 5 2025Magazine

Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk (right) meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in 2024. Poland leads European spending in defence, with nearly five per cent of GDP already in 2025. Photo courtesy of NATO

NATO’s post-Cold War enlargements in 1999 and 2004 were unprecedented milestones for security in Central and Eastern Europe, or CEE, where destabilization from intense geopolitical competition by external empires has historically undermined development. Imperial interference was central to the human suffering, political instability and economic degeneration experienced in the region during the 20th century. When communism fully collapsed in the 1990s, the following era was famously billed as “the end of history”, where liberal democracy would stand unrivalled to foster peace within an expanded western security community “from Vancouver to Vladivostok”. Great power jostling to consolidate “spheres of influence” would take a backseat. This optimistic vision saw NATO’s collective security guarantees as a lynchpin enabling prosperity for CEE states. Once security was assured, political reform and economic development would be nurtured by concurrent membership in the European Union.

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