Geopolitinė situacija Rytų Europoje po ES plėtros: Rusijos veiksnys

ENThe analysts of the Centre for Strategic Studies L. Kasčiūnas, E. Motieka, Ž. Vaičiūnas in their article explore the changes, the historic enlargement of 2004 has brought to the geopolitical situation in the Eastern Europe. The Eastern Europe is defined as a sub-region, covering Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine and performing functions of a typical geopolitical buffer and/or link. The region serves as an important gateway of energy resources, which connects the European industrial areas with supplies from Central Eurasia (Russia), Caucasus and even farther Eastern and Central Asian regions. Potentially the Eastern Europe, alongside with the Central European states could serve as an ideal geopolitical link, connecting these regions. Although currently the region is performing the function of a transit link, controlled by Russian economic structures. Thus, the Eastern European states lack conditions and internal potential to become independent geopolitical actors, linking the East with the West and balancing Russian domination in the region. Instead of that, they are gradually becoming the object of geopolitical game of external powers (USA, Germany, Russia, partially - Poland). Recent expansion of the Euro-Atlantic security structures marked a new formation of global and regional geopolitical codes in the USA-EU-Russia geo-strategic triangle. This transformation also includes what is already called “coverage of structures”, caused by intensification in co-operation of the Euro-Atlantic security structures with Russia (anti-terrorist campaign, energy, etc.). This coverage of structures includes the expansion of EU and NATO influence into traditional area of Russian domination, while Russia simultaneously enhances its energy, cultural and political influence, balancing the one of the West. Such coverage has both the elements of stability and co-operation as well as of conflict. [...].