NATO Through Time

NATO's open door (1999) with the former Hungarian Foreign Minister and former Czech Ambassador

August 09, 2024 NATO Podcast Team Season 1 Episode 4
NATO's open door (1999) with the former Hungarian Foreign Minister and former Czech Ambassador
NATO Through Time
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NATO Through Time
NATO's open door (1999) with the former Hungarian Foreign Minister and former Czech Ambassador
Aug 09, 2024 Season 1 Episode 4
NATO Podcast Team

Why did NATO open its door to former Warsaw Pact adversaries after the end of the Cold War? 
What was the process for Czechia, Hungary and Poland to join the Alliance? 
How has NATO changed in the 25 years since this historic enlargement? 

In this episode, former Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi and former Czech Ambassador to NATO Karel Kovanda share their perspectives on this transformative era in NATO history. They reflect on their youths, growing up under communism in Warsaw Pact countries, witnessing the end of the Cold War in 1989, and helping to lead their countries into NATO in 1999. They also discuss how their countries have contributed to the Alliance over the past 25 years, and where NATO is heading in the future. 

Show Notes Chapter Markers

Why did NATO open its door to former Warsaw Pact adversaries after the end of the Cold War? 
What was the process for Czechia, Hungary and Poland to join the Alliance? 
How has NATO changed in the 25 years since this historic enlargement? 

In this episode, former Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi and former Czech Ambassador to NATO Karel Kovanda share their perspectives on this transformative era in NATO history. They reflect on their youths, growing up under communism in Warsaw Pact countries, witnessing the end of the Cold War in 1989, and helping to lead their countries into NATO in 1999. They also discuss how their countries have contributed to the Alliance over the past 25 years, and where NATO is heading in the future. 

Introduction
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956
The Prague Spring of 1968
Learning about NATO in Communist Hungary
NATO's image in Communist Czechoslovakia
1989 - the end of communism in Hungary
1989 - the end of communism in Czechoslovakia
Returning to Czechoslovakia after the Cold War
Czechia's road to NATO
Hungary's road to NATO
The 1999 Kosovo air campaign
The 2002 Prague Summit and further enlargement
25 years of NATO membership for Czechia
25 years of NATO membership for Hungary
The future of NATO
Reflections on the 1999 NATO enlargement
Poland's journey alongside Czechia and Hungary
Takeaways from the conversation