"This extensively researched book offers a comparative analysis of four East European states - Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia - that were invited to become members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2002. Through a rigorous examination of their post-communist domestic and foreign policies, economic performance, security situation, campaign for NATO membership, civil-military relations, and the state of their armed forces, Professor Barany demonstrates that in several respects they do not satisfy the Alliance's own admission criteria. He contends that once it had begun. NATO should continue its expansion process but he argues that there is no pressing reason for NATO's haste. The Alliance should hold off further expansion until the invitees become fully qualified for membership. The alternative is to repeat and compound the mistakes of the first wave of enlargement, the beneficiaries of which - Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic - have been liabilities rather than assets of the Alliance."--Jacket.

1. The Pros and Cons of Further Enlargement -- 2. Slovakia: Catching Up to Its Neighbors -- 3. Slovenia: A Regional Leader -- 4. Romania: Twelve Years of Disappointments -- 5. Bulgaria: Progress After Seven Wasted Years -- 6. Conclusion.