A political, economic and security vacuum emerged in Central and Eastern Europe as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Poland, the main focus of this research, is now enjoying the sovereignty which was denied to her while under the dominance of the Soviet Union and, at present, is following the Western path to liberal democracy and a free market economy.; The central question to be asked in this dissertation can be expressed in the following manner: Why would Poland be willing to relinquish a portion of her newly acquired sovereignty almost immediately after she had successfully acquired relief from external dominance following the collapse of Communism in 1989? Put differently, why would Poland, after having been forced to adhere to the policies dictated by Moscow during the Cold War, voluntarily subordinate Warsaw's political, economic and military-security policy decisions to those drawn up by various international institutions, particularly NATO and the European Union? Acceptance into the latter two organizations would inevitably erode some measure of her sovereignty. Nonetheless, in her quest for a 'return' to Europe, Warsaw insists on pursuing a policy whose aim is full acceptance as a member in both NATO and the European Union.; For Poland, there remains a fundamental trade-off between national sovereignty vs. her security and prosperity. In order for Poland to maximize her security and prosperity, the Polish government in Warsaw must attain membership in various international institutions, even though this will unavoidably impinge upon some aspects of her sovereignty. Most theories, including those which will be discussed here---Realism, Interdependence and Functionalism---presuppose that states will normally strive to maximize their security and prosperity. Each theory sets forth its own independent variable(s) in order to explain and understand why a state voluntarily relinquishes portions of her sovereignty. Each theoretical approach offers some plausible explanations for Poland's rush to integrate with Western Europe.; Realist assertions provide the strongest argument in terms of the Poles' desire for strengthening the Polish nation-state in the short-term by integrating with Western European military and economic institutions; however, (neo)functionalism appears to offer a more compelling argument as to how Poland's long-term agenda will be guided in her relations with other states as a result of her 'return' to Europe as a full-fledged member of NATO and an eventual full-fledged member of the European Union.
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