"The region between the Baltic and the Black Sea has throughout history played the role of frontier or margin. Its identity has never been precisely defined. Today, the Baltic States, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, products of a disintegrated Soviet empire, have acquired independence but seek security guarantees."--BOOK JACKET. "NATO, the European Union, the Council of Europe, OSCE and regional bodies such as the Council of Baltic Sea States are all striving to meet the challenges of the new political configuration. Conflict in the Balkans adds to the urgency of this endeavor. This book addresses such issues as immigration, infiltration of organized crime and maintenance under EU rules of border exchanges at least as free as those that already exist in the region. Governments and international organizations should not regard institutional expansion and geopolitical restructuring merely as "western plus." From the other end of the telescope the view is very different."--BOOK JACKET.