Efnisyfirlit

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of figures
• List of tables
• List of boxes
• The author
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations and acronyms
• Introduction
• References
• 1. The costs and benefits of European integration, and the challenges of NATO membership for small powers
• European integration and NATO membership
• Different levels of European integration
• Some benefits and costs resulting from European integration
• The euro area: costs and benefits of membership
• Proximity with Russia and European integration
• US-backed NATO security: the US security umbrella
• NATO versus the Warsaw Pact
• From unipolarity to multipolarity: the rise of China, Russian recovery post-Soviet Union and the Chinese-Russian partnership
• Continued US dominance in Europe and European cooperation with China
• Major powers in Europe, Germany and France
• What does this mean for small states/powers in Europe?
• The different approaches to European integration and NATO membership
• The Nordic countries
• The Baltic states
• The Visegrád countries
• References
• 2. Participation in global and regional institutions and international relations theories
• Participation in global institutions
• Participation in regional institutions
• Overseas development assistance
• Participation and priorities in bilateral development cooperation
• International organizations and the liberal world order
• International relations theory: theoretical framework
• The EU, NATO and liberalism
• Realism versus liberal institutionalism
• International institutions and small states/powers
• References
• 3. Some small power alliances in Europe
• The Baltic, Nordic and the Visegrád groups
• Nordic cooperation2
• Baltic cooperation
• Visegrád cooperation10
• The Visegrád group today
• The structure of Visegrád cooperation
• The role of states in the international system
• Meetings between the Nordic, Baltic and Visegrád groups
• Siding with the US or China?
• Lithuania’s tensions with Russia and China and the blind reliance on the US
• Can the Baltic states rely on the US for their defence? Can they rely on the EU?
• References
• 4. Economic and social performance after the 2008–09 global financial crisis and during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Unemployment
• Market economy versus Keynesian welfare state: the Nordic versus the Baltic model
• The Nordic welfare model and collective risk sharing
• The Baltic neoliberal revolt against the welfare state
• Visegrád group
• Social justice in the Baltic, Nordic and Visegrad countries
• The performance of welfare systems: the Baltic States lagging behind
• Income inequality, poverty and social exclusion in the Baltic, Nordic and the Visegrád groups during the past decade
• Poverty or social exclusion?
• Health care expenditure and COVID-19 cases and deaths
• Concluding remarks
• References
• 5. Great powers influencing Europe in a changing world: From bipolar to unipolar to multipolar
• From a bipolar to a unipolar to a multipolar world: how does this affect Europe?
• China’s growing interest in Europe and the US pivot to Asia
• Small states’ behaviour in a multipolar world
• Small states’ strategy in a multipolar world
• An Icelandic moment for Lithuania
• References
• 6. The US and its role in Europe: Is the transatlantic alliance viable and feasible?
• US leadership role after the Second World War
• The fall of the Soviet Union and US influence on the former Soviet satellite states and republics
• The rise of China and a stronger Russia
• How viable is the transatlantic link?
• How should European small powers react to this change?
• References
• 7. The rise of China and its growing economic and political interest in Europe
• The rise of China and the relative decline in US supremacy
• Alliances against China
• The China-Russia alliance
• Some other major alliances with and without China
• United Nations Security Council, NATO and the great power rivalry
• How can Europe deal with this challenge? How should Europe manage its relations with China vs the US?
• References
• 8. Sharing a border with Russia: Ukraine and the challenge of EU and NATO expansion
• Introduction
• Ukraine
• Post-Soviet Union economic performance and productivity
• Internal and external (im)balances in Ukraine and Poland
• Integration with the West with the support of the EU, NATO and the US, and the subsequent conflict with Russia and full-scale war
• The effect of weak governance and corruption
• Outward migration and unemployment
• Discussion
• Concluding remarks
• References
• 9. How can Europe move forward post-COVID-19 and Brexit?
• Challenges ahead for the European Union
• The euro and the fragility of some euro area economies
• Fiscal discipline in the euro area
• Populist movements and the migration crisis
• Brexit
• Can Brexit result in further disintegration?
• More flexible fiscal rules in the euro area?
• Fiscal deficit or general government net lending/borrowing
• General government gross debt
• References
• 10. Dancing with giants: What can small powers do to maintain their economic and political sovereignty in a multipolar world?
• Great powers in a multipolar world
• Small states and small state alliances in a multipolar world
• Why are great powers opportunistic and unreliable?
• The risk of relying on great powers
• References
• 11. Conclusion and policy implications
• The status quo scenario
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats
• Pivot to China scenario
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats
• Pragmatic scenario
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats
• Security in the Baltic states, the Nordic countries and the Visegrád group: strengths and weaknesses
• Baltic states
• Nordic countries
• Visegrád group
• References
• Index