In Contested Territory a distinguished group of scholars analyses border issues stemming from the expansion of the former Soviet Union at the end of the Second World War. This important book offers detailed discussion and comparative analysis of eight potential or actual world politics border disputes at a time of great upheaval for the former Soviet Union when territorial issues are reemerging on the political agendas. The authors offer explanations for the rise of border disputes which emphasize the normative dimension rather than power politics. They also show how annexed border regions with their own distinct histories have developed regional identities within the former Soviet Union. The book's extensive coverage includes the most systematic expert analysis presently available on territorial disputes concerning Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, Carpatho-Ukraine, Eastern Poland, East Prussia, Abrene, the East of Narva and Petserimaa, Karelia and the Kurile Islands.

No other volume provides such a wealth of information on boundary and territorial disputes in Europe and the former Soviet Union within a theorectical framework. Contested Territory will be welcomed as a major contribution to our understanding of the recent history of the Soviet Union and the long-term problems raised by outstanding disputes over its boundaries.