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Book abstract:
The parades of military might with tanks rolling through Red Square and similar arenas in the former Soviet bloc countries were, one supposes, exercises in display of authority to the citizens of those countries as much as the wider world. They underlined the relationship between military might, the ruling class or clique and the ordinary citizen. Underlining may now have given way to undermining.
This work looks at postcommunist Central and Eastern Europe and provides fresh insights into the complex and multifaceted relationship between armed forces and society. It provides analysis of the various factors which influence the military roles and military-society relations. The framework for this is given in the introductory chapter which identifies five distinct military roles: the National Security role, the Nation Builder role, the Regime Defence role, the Domestic Military Assistance role and the Military Diplomacy role. These roles have been shaped both by international and domestic influences.
There then follow detailed country case studies written by leading experts which compare the experiences of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia and the Ukraine. The concluding chapter draws together the common threads of these case studies and seeks to present some signposts as to the probable way forward for military-society relations in Central and Eastern Europe, and suggests they might be increasingly influenced by the same factors as those that shape relationships in Western Europe.
The work will interest students and scholars engaged in international relations, defence and strategic studies, and political sciences.
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