The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569-1999

"Snyder then follows transformed national ideas onto the new terrains presented by national independence after the revolutions of 1989. He reviews the threats to European security that arose in the early 1990s with the threats of breakaway minorities, provocations from Moscow, and popular fears of ethnic cleansing. Finally, he examines how a bold Polish eastern policy facilitated the peaceful end of Soviet rule in the region, prevented national disagreements from spilling into international conflict, and hastened European integration. After 1989, a Polish geopolitical vision channeled national interests toward peace."--BOOK JACKET.