Geopolitics in Eastern Europe

This chapter aims at capturing the ongoing geopolitical processes in Eastern Europe in search for the dominant trends from geopolitical perspective. Commencing from Harold Mackinder’s definition of Eastern Europe and exploring the impact of historical process, the research frames a wide and inclusive definition of the term. The analysis concentrates on the impact of the dominant powers in the region on the political developments over the last three decades. The processes of regional fragmentation and consolidation as a part of the West reveal the major shift that took place in Eastern Europe. The findings highlight the fact that the process of westernization of Eastern Europe increased the region’s resilience to the extent that other dominant powers have less and less capabilities to consider the region as a shatterbelt. Despite Russia’s intentions, the war in Ukraine further consolidated Eastern Europe and decreased its ability for destabilization even in conflicts where Moscow is considered to have leverage.