Die Visegrád-Staaten auf der Suche nach ihrem eigenen Weg : Analyse der Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik Polens, Tschechiens, Ungarns und der Slowakei
The following study examines the foreign and security policy of the countries of the Visegrád Group that was established in 1991. The Group consists of four central European countries: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. As a collaborative group, these countries drafted three fundamental foreign and security policy priorities, to be attained both individually and jointly: the primacy of security, the primacy of co-determination and the primacy of solidarity. There assumed striking similarity between the Visegrád countries regarding the political identity, has been understood as one of the most important aspect any of closer and promising successful political cooperation. Given this formation, this study seeks to determine whether there has been a convergence among the individual states’ interests and priorities and how or to what extent this transformation in foreign and security policy priorities has occurred. The analysis builds upon the presumption that identity as well as foreign and security policy culture represent a reference of orientation for individual state action and conduct. It further seeks to identify exogenous and endogenous factors for state actions in the area of foreign and security policy as well as analyze potential cooperation and how such cooperation has actually come to fruition. The analysis is constructed chronologically (1999-2009). The study has a dually constructed methodological basis: a systematic and empirical-analytical approach. This approach is particularly necessary given the thematic variance and complexity of the issues at hand. An actor-centred approach has been chosen, which is grounded in the functional logic of the respective political systems and the analysis is embedded in the theoretical framework basis of the theories of the International Relations (neorealism, neoliberalism and social constructivism). Analysis of the identity of the each country of the Visegrád Group as well as an examination of foreign and security culture demonstrates a strong differential potential and a relatively weak power of convergence regarding common political identity in aspects of foreign and security policy. Therefore the identification of some common interests in the area of foreign and security policy based only on similar political identity and political culture is relatively doubtful. The dialectical relationship between identity and foreign, as well security, policy confirms the assumption that identity, foreign and security culture are playing an important role as the focal points in the acting logic of states. Beyond that they serve as an explanation of some activities of states. The following study’s underlying assumption in respect of the common primacies could only be partly confirmed. The analysis demonstrates however, that the primacy of security, the primacy of co-determination and the primacy of solidarity vary in concretization and political understanding regarding the form, substance and modus operandi dependent of the member country of the Visegrád Group. Upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that cooperation in foreign and security policy in the Visegrád Group does not feature any significant coherency or persuasive degree of policy coordination. The common coordinated foreign and security policy of the Visegrád countries is consequently not clearly evident. The Visegrád Group as the cooperation platform of four different neighbour countries cannot be seen in terms of common foreign and security policy as a homogenous actor of International Relations. The Visegrád Group does function rather as a loose, seemingly coincidental conglomerate of various foreign and security policy ideas and concepts. A more positive perspective can be ascertained, though, by viewing the foreign and security policy of the Visegrád Group as the sum of individual state initiatives that offer a considerable potential for enhanced coordination and mutual support.
info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/320, Außenpolitik, Sicherheitspolitik, Gemeinsame Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik, Visegrád-Staaten, Europäische Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik, NATO, Politik, foreign policy, security policy, Visegrád Group
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University