DEFENCE COOPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC: DOMESTIC CONTEXT

The article analyzes the circumstances that preceded signing of the Defence cooperation agreement between Slovakia and the United States, and caused a serious domestic political crisis in early 2022. The key points of the document are identified, which led to the emergence of opinion that this Agreement will lead to a violation of the state sovereignty of the country and the deployment of American troops on its territory for an unlimited period of time. The author notes the activation of political forces against the background of the discussion of the Agreement, which tried to capitalize on the potential of the protest moods of the masses, who traditionally do not feel sympathy for the overseas partner. One of the initiatives of opposition politicians who spearheaded this process was the idea of holding a referendum. However, the work demonstrates that the nowadays opponents of the authorities in the recent past were supporters of the development of SlovakAmerican cooperation. The author does not disregard the Russian factor, which was invisibly present during the discussion of this Agreement.