Author(s): Vasile CREȚU, Dragoș ARDELEANU
Publication name: Romanian Intelligence Studies Review
Publisher name: Mihai Viteazul National Intelligence Academy
Publication type: Journal article
Publication date: December 31, 2018
Pagination:
Issue/ Volume: 19-20/2018
DOI:
Abstract
In the light of recent crises, EU and NATO seem to be in the middle of an internal
struggle to maintain their unity and cohesion. In order to create a common and stronger
voice within these two structures, the Central-Eastern European countries developed two
cooperation frameworks: the Three Seas Initiative (TSI) and Bucharest 9 (B9). In our
vision, both emerging formats contribute to the creation of a (new) strategic North-
South Axis, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, with Poland and Romania as the pillars. This
is not a new concern, having its roots in the Intermarium idea, coined by Jozef Pilsudski,
Marshal and leader of interwar Poland. After the First World War, he envisioned the
organization of the region as a federation of states, and then as an alliance, with the
purpose of countering the then-German and Russian powers. Today, we assist at the
revival of the project, especially politically in Poland, but also in academic circles. The
fact that the U.S. supports both initiatives gives a new impetus to the security of the
region. Therefore, the aim of this paper is twofold: (1) to present the Intermarium
geopolitical project and its contemporary revival through TSI and B9; and (2) to
analyze the revival from a Romanian perspective, as well as to assess the implications
for our country.
Keywords: Intermarium, geopolitics, security, NATO, EU.
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