Following the disintegration of the Soviet bloc, many Central and Eastern
European Countries launched a vigorous “return to Europe” campaign, which primarily
focused on accession to NATO and the European Union.
By 2007, ten countries became members of the Euro-Atlantic community,
personifying the long-awaited reunification and reconciliation of Europe. The book argues
that the EU and NATO eastern enlargements represent a settlement of
historical-psychological accounts for countries affected by the “black trinity”: the
Munich Agreement, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and the Yalta-Potsdam Conferences.
Ainius Lašas is Postdoctoral Fellow at the UNU Institute for Sustainability and
Peace in Tokyo. He is the co-author of “Continuity and Change in the Baltic Sea Region:
Comparing Foreign Policies” (2008). He has published in Journal of European Public
Policy, East European Politics and Societies and Journal of Baltic Studies.
Introduction: Explaining NATO and EU Enlargement * The “Black Trinity” and
the Cold War
• NATO Enlargement
• EU Enlargement
226 pages, Hardcover