INTRODUCTION

Th e last decade of the twentieth century brought with it a notable num- ber of events that redesigned the geopolitical scene. Th e bipolar world came to an end and new actors emerged increasing the complexity of the international state system. Communism collapsed and a wave of democratization reached most of its former bastions. Important muta- tions can be noted along the whole state spectrum, from big/powerful to small/weak ones. Th e unifi cation of Germany and the rise of Russia as an independent regional power while the United States of America was consolidating its leading position provoked a redistribution of power in the system. As active actors in world politics, not only states but also international organizations went through drastic transformations. For instance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) reassessed its goals and means in order to face the emerging challenges associated with all these metamorphoses.1 In the context of this changing state system, has started to refer to the ability of states and societies to maintain their independent identity and functional integrity. In seeking security, state and society are sometimes in harmony with each other, sometimes opposed. Security is “primarily about the fate of human collectivities, and only secondarily about the personal security of individual human beings”.2 Originally, this concept dealt mainly with military issues but the constantly changing security environment made the states face new challenges, thus demanding a diff erent and more complex approach. In its broadest formulation, the term security goes well beyond military aspects. It can be understood both as a defence against external or inter- nal threats as well as the overall socioeconomic wellbeing of a society and the individuals who compose it.3 Th e most representative contributions

1 As part of this process, NATO opened its doors to new members. In 1997, NATO invited the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland to join the Alliance. Th ese countries became members de facto in 1999. New invitations were launched in November 2002 to Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia, which obtained membership in April 2004. 2 See Barry Buzan (1991), op. cit., p. 19. 3 See Douglas J. Murray & Paul Viotti, Th e Defence Policy of Nations: A Comparative Study (Th e Johns Hopkins University Press: ), 1994, p. 3. 2 introduction to this new theoretical framework come from Barry Buzan, Ole Wæver and , who identify fi ve security sectors in which particular threats have to be dealt with: military, political, economic, societal, and environmental.4 According to them, in the process of securitization spe- cifi c issues are taken beyond the established rules of the political game and framed “either as a special kind of politics or as above politics”.5 Moreover, a wide range of societal actors become directly or indirectly involved in these matters, from state institutions, political parties and politicians to governmental and non-governmental organizations, famous personalities, and mass media. Th e new theoretical approach towards security proved instrumental in exploring various aspects of these critical and convoluted changes. In South Eastern Europe, a multitude of crises that in some cases led to violent confl icts generated instability in their neighbouring areas. Th e former Yugoslavia, for instance, has gone through a wide range of disruptive experiences, from the revival of extremist nationalism and hatred to ethnic cleansing and segregation. Th e European politi- cal environment has become highly unpredictable and in deep need of more appropriate security arrangements. New threats and risks have emerged and spread rapidly, increasing the possibility of potentially dangerous developments occurring: terrorist actions, violent local confl icts, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, arms and drugs smuggling, illegal immigration, money laundering. In these fl uctuat- ing circumstances, the post-communist Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs)6 found themselves facing a titanic task: the radical transformation of all the layers of their societies while addressing the new security predicament. For these countries, the situation was even more complicated than for the Western democracies. To a certain extent, external threats stopped being considered the top priority in their security strategies: the internal vulnerabilities of the emerging democratic systems posed more serious problems. became increasingly conditioned by an amalgam of domestic political, societal and environmental issues.

4 Approach introduced in Barry Buzan, Ole Wæver, Jaap de Wilde, Security: A New Framework for Analysis (London: Lynne Rienner Publishers), 1998. 5 Ibid., p. 23. 6 When referring to Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), the author includes Poland, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.