From Gorbachev to Kosovo: Atlantic rivalries and the re-incorporation of eastern Europe

This paper argues that the collapse of the Soviet bloc and Yugoslavia catalysed an acceleration in the transition from a corporate liberal, 'Rhineland' pattern of capitalist discipline to a neoliberal pattern in the North Atlantic political economy. This process evolved through an initial phase of conservative, sphere-of-interest policies in which the particularities of the different Western states prevailed over any common posture; to a US-led offensive eventually drawing all Atlantic states into common forward movement into Eastern Europe, extending Washington's influence as far as central Asia. Structural differences in sectoral and world market orientation between capitals predisposed particular states to different policies through these phases. Ultimately, the European states representing regional economic interests were brought into line by the offensive approach under Clinton. The offensive exposed structural weaknesses of continental European capital as much as the failure of the European left governments to pursue an alternative to neoliberalism.