America, the Baltic states and the Making of an Unlikely Security Alliance

This open access book reckons with the US-Baltic security alliance. It traces the uncertain beginnings of this partnership, illuminating how the United States, rather than Europe, became the key underwriter of Baltic security. The manuscript captures the many contradictions, setbacks and disappointments that had to be overcome on both sides of the Atlantic for these ties to mature into a formal treaty alliance. Drawing upon sizable archival material and interviews with key participants, the book s chapters illuminate America s stance and role on the questions of Baltic independence, Russian troop removal in the early 1990s, and the Baltic road to NATO. Turning to current affairs, the material scrutinizes the United States force posture on NATO s eastern flank alongside the enduring question of alliance abandonment.
 

List of contents

Chapter 1: The Promise of aligning with the hegemon.- Chapter 2: Special but non-aligned: US-Baltic relations in the shadow of the Soviet collapse.- Chapter 3: Foreign troops vanish: The Russian army s removal from the Baltics.- Chapter 4: Alliance formation: The Baltics unlock NATO s door.- Chapter 5: The blood price: Small states in US-led coalitions of the willing.- Chapter 6: The Baltic contingency: NATO s evolving force posture in the region.- Chapter 7: Drawdown, exit, or enduring alliance?.

Product details

• Authors: Andris Banka
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 13.04.2026
• EAN: 9783032128140
• ISBN: 978-3-0-3212814-0
• Illustrations: Approx. 250 p. 15 illus.
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Comparative and international political science; Diplomatie, NATO, Security, Open Access, auseinandersetzen, Baltic States, Diplomacy, International Relations Theory, International Security Studies, Alliance, US foreign policy