Abstract

MARTINEZ CARMENA, María. NATO and its Enlargement to the East: To Ukraine?. rev.relac.int.estrateg.segur. [online]. 2018, vol.13, n.2, pp.123-151. ISSN 1909-3063.  https://doi.org/10.18359/ries.3134.

This study analyzes NATO's enlargement policy during the post-Cold War and the reasons for the current stagnation of the so-called "open door policy". While it is likely that all Balkan states end up incorporated into NATO, other states have been regarded by Russia as the insurmountable wall of this enlargement process. In this sense, Georgia and, clearly Ukraine, have marked a turning point in the NATO-Russia relationship. The "Russian factor" has always determined the advance of the North Atlantic Alliance towards Eastern Europe, but currently NATO members, especially the most relevant European partners, could experience serious political, economic and geostrategic effects (energy, coordination to combat jihadist terrorism) if its relationship with Russia worsens. Thus, it is suggested that the expansion strategy at this stage covers all the variables, reviews its objectives and is not pursued hastily because reconstructing the relationship with Russia is fundamental to the existence of a Euro-Asian balance.

Keywords : NATO enlargement; post-Cold War; Russia; Ukraine.

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