It would be good to test that assumption with realistic, hard exercises where decision-makers can practice surmounting the bureaucratic and physical obstacles hampering effectiveness in real time. From an old black cassette player, Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" rings out through a damaged neighbourhood of the ancient Turkish city of Antakya, where few residents remain since a devastating earthquake left it in ruins nearly a month ago. Author of. Last week, Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks described Germanys approach as immoral and hypocritical.. A lightning attack by Russian forces, likely following a period of intense, artificially created confusion, could reach the Baltic Sea or cut the Suwalki corridor in a matter of hours. Between the 10th and 13th centuries, the Baltic peoples came under siege from all directions. The term Baltic countries (or lands, or states) was, until the early 20th century, used in the context of countries neighbouring the Baltic Sea: Sweden and Denmark, sometimes also Germany and the Russian Empire. There is also significant proficiency in Finnish in Estonia owing to its linguistic relationship with Estonian and also widespread exposure to Finnish broadcasts during the Soviet era. How can NATOs problems in the Baltic region be fixed? 1 min read. All the Baltic states were once republics of the Soviet Union. What does that mean for trade and globalization? Many Baltic leaders hope a permanent NATO presence will be discussed this week when U.S. President Joe Biden visits Brussels, Belgium, for meetings with NATO and other European leaders. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania each adopted the euro as its common currency in 2011, 2014, and 2015, respectively. In our Center for European Policy Analysis report, we identified more than a dozen serious problems. Download the new FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere. Watchthe conversation onFP Live, the magazines forum for live journalism, orreada condensed transcript. [23], Estonia usually was the best performing country in terms of energy security, but new assessment shows that even though Estonia has the highest share of renewables in the energy production, its energy economy has been still characterized by high rates of carbon intensity. Their combined defense spending is around half of Russiasbut the Kremlin has global ambitions, such as space weapons, a blue-water navy, and a strategic nuclear arsenal. But the inducements encourage U.S. companies to invest only at homenot elsewhere. Moreover, several routes of oil delivery also have been sustained from Soviet times: These are ports in Ventspils, Butinge and Tallinn. These moves, though desirable, are belated and insufficient. Such rhetoric makes it appear unlikely that Russia - which has yet to announce its response to the Slovak and Baltic moves - will allow the disputes to quietly subside. In the event of a Russian provocation, would Germany back deterrence or call for dialog and compromise? Fifteen years ago, NATO opened its doors to the Baltic states. Swedish remains spoken in Estonia, particularly the Estonian Swedish dialect of the Estonian Swedes of northern Estonia and the islands (though many fled to Sweden as the USSR invaded and re-occupied Estonia in 1944). Many think that NATOs presence in the region has gone far enough already. Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription. The three Baltic countries of Northern Europe have long been allies of the United States and valued members of the NATO community. In all three countries virtually everyone among the titular nationalities speaks the native tongue as their first language, which is remarkable in light of the massive Russian immigration to the Baltic states during the second half of the 20th century. Finland is the standout example of this, with military conscription, extensive training for civilian decision-makers, counter-disinformation training in schools, and regular exercises. Neighboring Norway, though not a littoral state, is closely involved in Baltic Sea security through its logistical, intelligence, and military aviation capabilities. Jessica Chen Weiss, formerly a senior advisor for policy planning at the State Department under the Biden administration, makes the case that the United States is becoming consumed by competition with China, a strategy that could lead to dangerous conflict. Timbering and fisheries enjoy modest success. Latvia, for example, was a leading producer of Soviet radio receivers. Russia borders Latvia to the east, and the Baltic Sea is to the west. Like Latvia, Lithuania also had a large Jewish community, but it too was decimated by the Holocaust. For more than 20 years, Estonias counterintelligence service has published a hard-hitting annual report about Russian subversion and other threats. Urmas Reinsalu. After the end of the Cold War, NATO added 14 more members from 1999 to 2020. Estonia fought a successful war of independence against Soviet Russia in 19181920. standing, Ukrainians are determined to keep fighting, and the West has so far stayed resolute in its support of Ukraine. Although Russian is more widely spoken among older people the vast majority of young people are learning English instead with as many as 80 percent of young Lithuanians professing English proficiency, and similar trends in the other Baltic states. Independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 allowed the Baltic states to place controls on immigration, and, in the decade following, the Russian presence in Baltic life diminished. In 1940, all three countries were invaded, occupied and annexed by the Stalinist Soviet Union. Is Weiss correct? The latest news, analysis, and data from the country each week. She has garnered widespread support and international . With Ben Hodges, a former U.S. Army commander in Europe and now my colleague at the Center for European Policy Analysis, I have spent the past year deep in the weeds, looking at the problems of Baltic Sea regional security and how to fix them. A jeep would follow behind with an officer bearing cash and checks to compensate farmers for their losses. But the inducements encourage U.S. companies to invest only at homenot elsewhere. Updates? Above all, NATO needs exercises. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. The Soviets attempted to prevent these countries from seceding through economic blockades. Explore this interactive map to discover how NATO works and how it responds to today's security challenges This meaning is retained in the two modern Baltic languages, where baltas in Lithuanian and balts in Latvian mean 'white'. Join FPs Ravi Agrawal for a frank discussion about the Biden administrations China policy and alternatives that it ought to consider. [23], Possible threats to energy security include, firstly, a major risk of energy supply disruption. This reality gives the alliance flexibility with regard to NRFAs terms, she told VOA by email. This friendship led to the creation of the Council of the Baltic Sea States in 1992, and the EuroFaculty in 1993.[20]. In all three countries, Baltic partisans, known colloquially as the Forest Brothers, Latvian national partisans, and Lithuanian partisans, waged unsuccessful guerrilla warfare against the Soviet occupation for the next eight years in a bid to regain their nations' independence. Watch the conversation or read the condensed transcript. [18] Other exceptions included Sweden, which was the first Western country, and one of the very few to ever do so, to recognize the incorporation of the Baltic states into the Soviet Union as lawful.[19]. By the end of the 18th century, all Baltic territory became part of the Russian Empire. Once Russia has completed its conquest of Ukraine, that question will acquire . They are classified as high-income economies by the World Bank and maintain high Human Development Index. It is also the most homogenous Baltic state, as ethnic Lithuanians make up 84% of the population. In all three countries simultaneously, rigged elections (in which only pro-Stalinist candidates were allowed to run) were staged in July 1940, the newly assembled "parliaments" in each of the three countries then unanimously applied to join the Soviet Union, and in August 1940 were incorporated into the USSR as the Estonian SSR, Latvian SSR, and Lithuanian SSR. During the interwar period the three countries as well as Finland and Poland sometimes were collectively referred to as limitrophe states (from French language), as they together formed a "rim" along the western border of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union. "If that happens, it might serve as a strong deterrent to any future attempts to carry out such (spying) activities, as they did with the feeling of impunity previously.". Putins proposed veto on enlarging NATO any further directly infringes on the sovereignty and security of Finland and Sweden, which have for years maintained that though they do not wish to join the alliance right now, they have the right to apply should they choose to. Yet below the surface, the regions defense and security arrangements, far from threatening Russia, look troublingly flimsy. Please follow our comment guidelines, stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others beliefs. The greater part of the three modern Baltic states' territory was for the first time included in the same political entity when the Russian Empire expanded in the 18th century. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas made history as the first female prime minister of the tiny European Union member state in 2021. A spate of tit-for-tat expulsions has plunged ties between Russia and countries of the former Soviet bloc to their lowest point since the fall of Communism, prompting Moscow to accuse at least two of them of deliberately wrecking relations. This also poses a threat to energy security of the Baltic states, because slows down the renewable energy consumption and lead to low rates of energy efficiency.[25]. Fact: NATO has taken defensive and proportionate steps in response to a changed security environment.In response to Russia's use of military force against its neighbours, Allies requested a greater NATO presence in the Baltic region. Initially, many Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians considered the German army as liberators, while having hoped for the restoration of each of the three countries' independence, but instead the Nazi German invaders established a civil administration, known as the Reichskommissariat Ostland. The three states have the highest productivity of the former constituent republics of the Soviet Union. Latvia is sandwiched between Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. Currently, U.S. troops are part of NATOs Baltic rotational battlegroups, which are led by Germany, Britain, and Canada. Relations between the United States and China seem to be getting frostier by the day. Delivered Wednesday. All too often, the highlight is a distinguished visitor day closer to a theatrical performance than a training event, where participants identify problems by experiencing them. It is bordered by Belarus to the south and east, Latvia to the north, Poland to the south, and a part of East Prussia to the southwest, which is now controlled by Russia. Interview with VOA on March 14, 2022. Putins threat to respond to NATO with military-technical measures could easily involve the deployment of medium-range missiles, perhaps even nuclear-armed weapons, in Russias Kaliningrad exclave. 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