ABSTRACT
This approach to international politics rests on the belief that institutions are a key means of promoting world peace.2 In particular, Western policymakers claim that the institutions that "served the West well" before the Soviet Union collapsed must be reshaped to encompass Eastern Europe as welP "There is no reason," according to Secretary of State Warren Christopher, "why our institutions or our aspirations should
stop at [the] old frontiers of the Cold War."4 The institutions he has in mind include the European Community (EC), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), and the Western European Union (WEU). No single institution is expected to playa dominating role in Europe, however; instead, the aim is to create "a framework of complementary, mutually reinforcing" institutions.5 "We can promote more durable European security," Christopher claims, "through interlocking structures, each with complementary roles and strengths."6
