Europe Alone: Small State Security without the United States

by David Schultz Hamline University (Editor), Aurelija Puraite (Editor), Vidmante Giedraityte (Editor)

Overview

Since the end of World War II and the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States has taken the lead in maintaining European security through its membership in NATO. However, the economic and political positions of both the United States and Europe have changed in the last seventy-five years, leading many to wonder if America is still willing and able to provide for Europe’s security needs, especially at a time when the Russian Federation has become a more aggressive military and political player. Europe Alone explores the prospects of European security in a future when the United States may no longer be a reliable partner. Leading security scholars offer a multifaceted approach to the changing role and meaning of national security into the future. They look at European security issues from the perspective of small states and seek to broaden the concept of security beyond traditional domestic policing or national defense.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538167281
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/23/2022
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	6.23(w) x 9.38(h) x 1.23(d)

About the Author

David Schultz is a distinguished professor of political science and legal studies at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and professor of law at the University of Minnesota.

Aurelija Pūraitė is a professor in the Institute of Law and Law Enforcement at the Academy of Public Security in Mykolas Romeris University, a vice-dean for science and project activities at the Academy of Public Security, and a head of the Sustainable Security Research Centre.

Vidmantė Giedraitytė is an associate professor of public management at General Jonas Žemaitis military academy of Lithuania, a head of Security Institutions Management Research Group, and lecturer of law at Kaunas University of Technology.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction: Theoretical and Methodological Aspects of the Definition of, and Research into, Security of a Small State

Vytautas Šlapkauskas

PART I: GEOPOLITICAL CHALLENGES AND SECURITY THREATS

2 The End of the American Century: European Security without the United States

David Schultz

3 The Complexity of Defense of the Small States in the Shadow of Russia’s Power: The Case Analysis of the Baltic States

Giedrius Česnakas

4 Economic Security Indicators during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Country Comparative Analysis

Žaneta Simanavičienė, Artūras Simanavičius, and Alla Cherep

5 The Emerging Concepts of Energy Security: Energy Resilience

Gintaras Labutis

6 Ecological Threats

Eglė Štareikė

7 Terrorism as a Global Threat to Security

Gediminas Gediminas Bučiūnas

PART II: CHALLENGES AND THREATS TO EU AND NATIONAL SECURITY

8 EU Security Policy and Priorities: Highway or a Cliff at the End of the Road?

Mantas Bileišis and Svajūnė Ungurytė-Ragauskienė

9 Organized Crime and Corruption as a Security Threat

Gediminas Bučiūnas

10 Artificial Intelligence and National Defense

Vidmantė Giedraitytė

11 International and State-Level Emergencies and Military Threats

Audronė Petrauskaitė and Rolanda Kazlauskaitė Markelienė

12 Small States and Disaster Preparedness

Rasa Smaliukienė and Anatolijus Bogomolnikovas

PART III: CHALLENGES AND THREATS TO PUBLIC, INSTITUTIONAL, AND PERSONAL SECURITY

13 A Crisis of Values and Challenges to the Contemporary Human-Rights-Based World Order

Nijolė Aukštuolytė and Aurelija Pūraitė

14 Challenges of Sustainable Development in the Global and National Context

Gitana Dudzevičiūtė

15 Interinstitutional and Cross-Sectorial Collaboration to Ensure Security

Vidmantė Giedraitytė

16 The Importance of Leadership in the Lithuanian Armed Forces

Viktorija Šimanauskienė

17 New Competencies and Leadership in Law Enforcement Institutions

Rūta Adamonienė and Laima Ruibytė

18 Conclusion: Between Security and Safety—Outlines for the Contours of Research in Search of a Holistic Approach

Vytautas Šlapkauskas and Vaiva Zuzevičiūtė

Index

About the Editors and Contributors

Editorial Reviews

It is hard to think of any other aspect of human, public, national or international security that is not covered here. Nor does the collection confine itself to analysis…. Europe Alone ambitiously pleads for the establishment of security and safety studies as a separate discipline that can holistically deal with the entire range of issues – from waste management and nuclear strikes to organised crime and sustainable development – that are ably discussed in this collection.

Survival

InEurope Alone: Small State Security without the United States, David Schultz, Aurelija Pūraitė, and Vidmantė Giedraitytė have provided a valuable and thought-provoking collection for the fields of law, public safety, and national security by gathering a distinct group of local scholars and professionals who collectively present a comprehensive, diverse, and academic look at various policy concepts. This book is unique in its holistic approach to the security of small states in post-Cold War era Europe. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has not only shaken Europe to its core but has also propelled the historically neutral states of Sweden and Finland to seek NATO membership. In such an environment, many former Soviet states are very seriously concerned about their security despite being among the newest members of NATO. This work addresses many significant questions, such as how small European states can defend themselves against overwhelming new threats and the reliability of the United States as a security partner.

Houman A. Sadri

A very necessary and timely book. I recommend this to anyone who does not want to repeat the fate of Ukraine. The authors make the fundamental conclusion that the former American security umbrella no longer exists, and therefore, even the former post-Soviet NATO member countries will have to rely primarily on their own forces in matters of ensuring and strengthening security. Thanks to the meticulous work that David Schultz, Aurelija Pūraitė, and Vidmantė Giedraitytė have done, the people of the Baltic States are now warned, and they—I want to hope—will not have to, as we do now in Kyiv, give zoom lectures to the sound of sirens and the smell of burning from exploding shells and rockets, playing almost every day the roulette of ‘arrives/does not arrive.’ Great job; well done, colleagues!

Oleksandr (Alex) Komarenko

No country is an island. We all are operating in the same ecosystem of security, where each participant has an important role to play. This book explores the prospects of European security in a future where the whole global security architecture is about to change. Who will be a leading actor and how? It is obvious that there cannot be any weak links in the chain of security, especially from the interest of smaller states like the Baltic countries. The timing of this book could not be better as the Russian Federation has become more aggressive. It is time to broaden our views on European security concepts. I recommend this book for those who wish to continue their academic studies and research or those who are curious about the future concepts and perspectives of European security.

Marek Link