Bridging the European Divide: Middle Power Politics and Regional Security Dilemmas by Joshua B. s> Spero (review)

Abstract

i88 SEER, 85, I, 2007 However, superficialflaws scarcelydetractfrom the fact that this book fills an important gap in the literatureon Russian politics. While the institutional development of both the presidency and the parliamenthas been the subject of book-lengthstudiesthe governmenthas largelybeen neglected, presumably due to its perceived unimportance in policy-making, especially under PresidentPutin. Nevertheless,such studiesare importantnot only because the government has at times exercised considerable discretionarypolicy-making powers, but also because they contributeto our broaderunderstandingof the relationshipbetween federalinstitutionsover time, and indeed into the future. Furthermore,the encyclopedic empirical detail will make the work a useful point of referencefor specialistsand postgraduatestudents,while the theoretical frameworkshould attractthe attention of comparativescholars,especially those interestedin understandingthe dynamicsof governmentdevelopmentin other president-parliamentarysystems such as those in Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine. Department ofPoliticsandInternational Relations SARAH WHITMORE Oxford Brookes University Spero,Joshua B. Bridging theEuropean Divide:MiddlePowerPoliticsandRegional Securi Dilemmas.Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, MD, Boulder, CO, New York, Toronto and Oxford, 2004. viii +343 pp. Illustration.Notes. Bibliography.Index. C57.00? THISbook makes an importantcontributionto the field of securityand power politics focusing on Poland's success and difficulties in defining adequate foreign policy-making in the transforming Europe. The book provides an illuminatingstudy of how a novel other-help alignment strategv devised and methodically promulgatedby the then ForeignMinisterKrysztofSkubiszewskiand his dynamic ministerial team helped Poland to generate and subsequently maintain and influence the power balance in the post-Cold War Europe and the world. Not only has the book excelled in providing a thorough historiographical analysisof Poland's foreign policy-makingbetween I989 and 1993, but it also recognized a monumental effort of the longest lasting postCommunist minister Skubiszewskiin prioritizingsovereigny as a key objective of a newly independent state, and through its painstaking implementation bestowing to the nation an increased security and internationalcooperation. As a result, despite its limited geopolitical options, Poland has grown to become an influentialplayer in European and world politics. The great advantage of the book is its logical and impeccable structure affording concise and relevant summation of individual chapters and providing an extended comprehensive conclusion to the whole book. This undoubtedly helps the reader to follow the author's logic from its inception and author's reiterations of the key points in bringing the argument to its culmination. In the firsttwo chaptersthe author lays down some historicaland conceptual foundationsfor the subsequentexplorationof the 'middle power politics' REVIEWS I89 theory in practice. Dr Spero attests various international relations theories to the case of Poland and arrives at the conclusion that a novel 'bridging' strategicforeign policy-makingthat Poland effectivelyadopted in early postCommunist days, has become a more expedient strategythan a conventional balancing or bandwagoning approachto relations-buildingwith greatpowers. He contends that Poland has succeeded at becoming a pivotal middle power state because it can now affect regional security dilemmas and influence 'how great powers might choose to transform the anarchical international system' (p. 23). Although the concept of middle power politics and various other-help strategiesassociatedwith it receive sufficientattentionby the author, the actual elaboration of the concept of pivotalmiddle powersremains under explored and in need of furtherclarification. The book has clearly benefited from an in-depth survey of domestic and internationalfactorsthat conditioned Poland'sracja stanuin foreignpolicymaking in chapters 3-5. Particularlyinformative is the account of Poland's relations-buildingwith an integrating Germany and a disintegratingUSSR, in the process of which some classic self-help strategies were tried and abandoned, and a more effectivestrategyof bilateral'bridging'was eventually found to help overcome centuries-old security dilemmas and make Poland matter to great powers these days. The author also provides a substantive analysisof Poland'salignmentstrategiestowardsCentraland EasternEurope, demonstrating its leading role in forging a European path for many post-Communist states. Additionally, the increasinglyimportant contribution of Poland to democracy-buildingin the EU's outsiderstates, such as Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, is thoroughly elucidated by the author. On the side of criticism, perhaps, one could mention that a more balanced approach could have been adopted to illustratethe bi-lateral nature of these agreements, to avoid over-emphasisingthe role Poland played in facilitatinga European future for many new post-Communist states. Furthermore, Belarus is only briefly alluded to in chapter four. In the meantime, Poland's endeavour to develop a reciprocal dialogue...