What does it mean to promise security in a world defined by shifting alliances, broken treaties, and fragile trust? Security Guarantees: From Munich to NATO, Budapest to Ukraine examines one of the most consequential but misunderstood pillars of international relations: the pledge to defend others.
From the failure of appeasement at Munich and the birth of NATO’s Article 5, to the Cold War’s rival pacts and the gamble of Ukraine giving up its nuclear arsenal under the Budapest Memorandum, this book traces how security guarantees have shaped the modern world. It highlights the ambitions, contradictions, and limits of these commitments, showing how they reflect not just military strategy but also political will, economic interdependence, and moral responsibility.
Drawing on history, diplomacy, and current events, Natalie G. Turner presents a critical analysis of why some guarantees endure while others collapse, and why Ukraine today stands at the crossroads of 21st-century security. Readers will gain not only a deeper understanding of the past but also insight into the uncertain future of international promises in an increasingly fractured world.
Thoughtful, well-researched, and timely, this book is essential for anyone seeking to understand the fragile balance between trust and power in global affairs.
