Post-Communist Evolution Of Defence Spending In Nato Countries

After the Allied victory in World War II, Europe was divided into two spheres of influence, according to geographical criteria. The Eastern Bloc, the area of influence of the Soviet Union, adopted the communist regime, promoted by Moscow. The communist regime has been replaced in all Eastern Bloc countries since 1989. Fourteen of these countries, no longer under Moscow's influence, have joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since 1999, the world's strongest military organization. These fourteen states represent three former members of the USSR, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, four former members of Yugoslavia, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Northern Macedonia, and seven other states, namely Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. How has the allocation of defence resources in the fourteen NATO countries evolved since the fall of communism and the exit from Moscow's influence? We try to answer this question by studying the literature in the field of research and by processing the information provided by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. This study aims to analyse at the level of each country the differences in approach to defence spending from the adoption of the capitalist system, until obtaining the status of NATO member country. Also, this study analyses the evolution of defence spending after joining NATO, to see how the defence budget has been influenced by NATO membership. Special attention will be paid to Romania, the second among the fourteen countries in terms of army size and defence allocations, a country in which the anti-communist revolution has been more violent than in other states. Romania's accession to NATO in 2004 was one of the most important moments of the post-communist era, of equal strategic importance with the accession to the European Union. The Romanian military is respected within the Alliance due to its professionalism and dedication to the values promoted by NATO, currently participating in international missions in theatres of operations.