Description
Book SynopsisThis book is the first comprehensive discussion of the aims, capabilities, politics, and internal problems of NATOâs Southern Flank in its formative stage of the 1950s.
Trade ReviewThe Southern Flank of NATO takes a historical excursion off the beaten path, exploring the initial attempt to mount a political and military defense against the Soviet Union in Greece, Turkey, Italy, and at times, Yugoslavia. For this reason alone, this work is of value—this is an under-researched topic, and this study closes a gap in the historical literature. The work is packed with detail, and provides an excellent reference for anyone interested in Southern Europe or the early history of NATO.... This work closes a gap in the historical research with a comprehensive and extremely detailed look at NATO consolidation during the 1950s.... The reader can find some fascinating and challenging presentations of a very different world which tempts one to wrestle with an of a number of ‘could-have-beens.’ * The Strategy Bridge *
Chourchoulis’s Southern Flank presents a rich, well-documented discussion of relationships among Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, and Turkey and the eventual outcomes. * Modern Greek Studies Yearbook *
With thorough research and shrewd argument, Dionysios Chourchoulis uncovers the complex motives behind the making of NATO’s southern flank and sheds fresh light on the making of Cold War Europe. -- Joe Maiolo, Kings College London
No other region reveals more starkly the fault lines of the Atlantic alliance than its Southern Flank, the subject of Dionysios Chourchoulis’ richly researched, carefully argued, and meticulously documented study. The book focuses on the front’s formative decade, which saw the expansion of NATO’s responsibilities from Gibraltar to the Black Sea, and examines the principal crises which buffeted the West during the 1950s. It sheds important light on NATO’s internal dynamics, geopolitical fragmentation and intra-bloc rivalries. Chourchoulis’ assessment of NATO’s contributions to political stabilization in the Southern Flank, in contrast to its incoherent military strategy, is perceptive and challenges conventional interpretations. This is a significant and timely contribution to our understanding of the politics of the Atlantic alliance from its infancy to the present. -- John O. Iatrides, Southern Connecticut State University
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Road to NATO’s First Enlargement. From the Association of Greece and Turkey to NATO to their Full Admission (1950-February 1952) 2. The Establishment of NATO’s Southern Flank. Command Reorganization and Arrangements and Regional Defense (February 1952-March 1953) 3. The Ascendancy of the Southern Flank of NATO (1953-1954) 4. The Disintegration of the South-Eastern Rampart (Autumn 1954-August 1956) 5. Continuing Crisis and New Challenges (Autumn 1956-Autumn 1957) 6. From the Brink of Dissolution to Revival (Autumn 1957-December 1959)
