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Answer (1 of 5): The Baltic countries are 3 states that are in the northeastern region of Europe. Many here worry that if Ukraine falls, they might be next. FPs Ravi Agrawal spoke with two of the very best Russia experts:Angela Stent, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author ofPutins World: Russia Against the West and With the Rest, and Michael Kofman, the research program director of the Russia studies program at the Center for Naval Analyses. (In a countermove, Poland has just built a pipeline to Norway to secure another source of gas.) The Baltic peoples efforts paid off, however, as by the beginning of the 21st century, the three countries enjoyed sustained economic growth, and would soon be admitted to both NATO and the European Union. All Baltic states are now part of NATO and the European Union. Moreover, several routes of oil delivery also have been sustained from Soviet times: These are ports in Ventspils, Butinge and Tallinn. More ways to stay updated on global news: By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. Analysis: A monthly digest of the top articles read by FP subscribers. Estonia fought a successful war of independence against Soviet Russia in 19181920. During a Baltics tour earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State. There are other countries that border the Baltic Sea, such as Poland, Finland, and Sweden, but when people refer to the Baltic States, they are usually just referring to the three countries that sit on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which are Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Combined, Poland plus the Nordic countries and three Baltic states have a greater GDP than Russias. Then, two years later, NATO underwent the largest expansion in its history, admitting seven more Eastern European countries, including the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which . Like Latvia, Lithuania also had a large Jewish community, but it too was decimated by the Holocaust. In some cases, Russians took on the nationalities of their adopted Baltic countries and were thus counted among the ethnic majorities. Regional security in the Baltic Sea has been a problem for much longer than the current standoff with Russia. And how might that be impacting the world? In 2016, we deployed four multinational battlegroups or "enhanced forward presence" to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. [citation needed]. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The depth of Russia's bitterness over its treatment by former allies was reflected in a foreign ministry statement on Friday after Moscow had summoned the Polish ambassador for a dressing-down. Latvias capital and largest city is Riga, located on the countrys northern coast, on the Gulf of Riga. VILNIUS, April 23 (Reuters) - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on Friday joined a fast-growing list of NATO and EU members demanding the removal of Russian diplomats for alleged spying, in actions. Latvians, together with Livonians, who are another indigenous group in the country, make up 62% of the population. Finland is the standout example of this, with military conscription, extensive training for civilian decision-makers, counter-disinformation training in schools, and regular exercises. 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. They are classified as high-income economies by the World Bank and maintain high Human Development Index. Germanys shilly-shallying over Ukraine, which included banning Estonia from donating some much-needed howitzers to the beleaguered Ukrainians, have intensified doubts. Analysts say he would likely see the establishment of a permanent NATO presence in Eastern Europe as a violation of past agreements, including the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act (NRFA). Ethnic Estonians make up 69% of the population. bleak warnings of the Baltic states about President . The three Baltic states are also cooperating in joint arms and equipment purchases in order to save money. [37] However, the modern names of the region and the sea that originate from this root, were not used in either of the two languages prior to the 19th century. Trees that adapt to the often poorly drained soil are common, such as birches and conifers. During a Baltics tour earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said more permanent deployments were being considered as part of a larger review of NATOs defense posture. Explore the benefits of your FP subscription. The pandemics outbreak brought rare reporting freedoms. No country in the region has enough of these defensive systems, and some have none. The world over, countries are embarking on ambitious projects of industrial policy. They diversified their oil import suppliers due to shutdown of Druzhba gas pipeline in 2006 and increased the share of renewable sources in total energy production with the help of the EU policies. Violent incidents involving Soviet forces and the citizens of the Baltic States occurred during 1991, until Soviet hardliners attempted a coup to depose Gorbachev. Latvia is sandwiched between Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. You may opt out at any time. Youre on the list! What will another year of war look like? Vikings from Scandinavia, Slavs from the east, and Germanics from the west conquered most of the territory that now comprises the Baltic States, except Lithuania. The main trading partners outside the region are Russia, Germany, Finland, and Sweden. The Finno-Ugric tribes would eventually become the Estonians. About a quarter of Latvias population is nonreligious. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com, Latvias capital and largest city is Riga, Lithuanias capital and largest city is Vilnius, U.S. States Bordering The Most Other States, The 10 Wettest States In The United States Of America. NATO allies have stationed so-called enhanced forward presence tripwire forces, roughly 1,000 troops strong, in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Rich countries that are farther from the front line should pay to have them where they matter most. NATO also has overwhelming air power superiority that would factor into any battle with Russia in the Baltics, Plesch pointed out. The predecessors of the modern Balts lived in a large swathe of territory south of the Finno-Ugric tribes, stretching west from territory that is now part of central Russia to the mouth of the Vistula River in modern-day Poland. The climate is cool and damp, with greater rainfall in the interior uplands than along the coast. The term was also used historically to refer to Baltic Dominions of the Swedish Empire (Swedish: stersjprovinserna) and, subsequently, the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire (Russian: , romanized:Ostzejskie gubernii). After the end of the Cold War, NATO added 14 more members from 1999 to 2020. Before WWII, Latvia had a significant Jewish community. Test yourself on the week of Feb. 25: Nigeria votes, Finland builds a border wall, and Israel escalates repression. Since 1991, NATO has been an organization designed for peace, not wara dangerously outdated assumption. 02/10/2022. NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) consists of four battalion-sized battlegroups (totaling about 4,500 personnel) deployed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Russia. Its size and location would add crucial heft, but the other countries around the Baltic Sea are privately mistrustful of decision-makers in Berlin. Nowhere is the credibility of the United States and its allies at greater risk than in the Baltic Sea region. Battle of Grunwald by Jan Matejko. 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). 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. For the geographic region, see, "Baltics" redirects here. 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. The Soviet Union conducted a policy of Russification by encouraging Russians and other Russian-speaking ethnic groups of the Soviet Union to settle in the Baltics. Area 67,612 square miles (175,116 square km). [43], LithuaniaGitanas NausdaPresident of Lithuania, EstoniaKaja KallasPrime Minister of Estonia, LatviaKrijnis KariPrime Minister of Latvia, LithuaniaIngrida imonytPrime Minister of Lithuania. On the surface, everything looks fine. The languages of the three Baltic peoples belong to two distinct language families. The capital and largest city of Estonia is Talinn, which is located on the countrys northern coast, on the Gulf of Finland. But this independence was short-lived. "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.". Although the Baltic states are one small operational area in military terms, they have three national headquarters, each commanding pint-sized forces. All three became NATO members on 29 March 2004, and joined the EU on 1 May 2004. Additional information on the regions physical and human geography can be found in the article Europe. Proper intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilitieswhich combine drone, sensor, and satellite capabilities with modern computing powercreate an unblinking eye that can look deep inside Russia, identifying what Kremlin forces are doing long before a crisis actually develops. The underlying geology is sandstone, shale, and limestone, evidenced by hilly uplands that alternate with low-lying plains and bear mute testimony to the impact of the glacial era. Join FPs Ravi Agrawal for a frank discussion about the Biden administrations China policy and alternatives that it ought to consider. Latgalian and Samogitian are considered either separate languages or dialects of Latvian and Lithuanian, respectively. NATO cooperation . Urban dwellers constitute more than two-thirds of the regions population, with the largest cities being Vilnius and Kaunas in southeastern Lithuania, the Latvian capital of Riga, and Tallinn on the northwestern coast of Estonia. A Polish exercise last year, despite making generous assumptions, ended with Polish forces being slaughtered in five days and the Russians poised to take Warsaw. FPsRavi Agrawalsat down with U.S. Trade RepresentativeKatherine Tai, the Biden administrations top official tasked with mapping out and implementing the White Houses trade policy. Military mobilitythe vital business of moving large numbers of troops and equipmentis patchy too. Russias growing military presence in Belarus highlights the vulnerability of the Suwalki corridor, the thin neck of land connecting the Baltic states and Poland. Polish served a similar function in Lithuania. The Baltic states have historically been in many different spheres of influence, from Danish over Swedish and PolishLithuanian, to German (Hansa and Holy Roman Empire), and before independence in the Russian sphere of influence. Ukraines economy and infrastructure have been dealt blows that will take decades to recover from. Weekly update on developments in India and its neighbors. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. Cue the protests from other parts of the globe: A chorus of nations are accusing Washington of fostering unfair competition. The Latvians also were considerably Germanized, and the majority of both the Estonians and the Latvians belong to the Lutheran church. The armed resistance of the anti-Soviet partisans lasted up to 1953. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. Rinkvis wants a permanent NATO presence on the alliances eastern flank. Behind all that is the regional U.S. headquarters in Poland and its main headquarters for Europe in Virginia. The latest news, analysis, and data from the country each week. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania each adopted the euro as its common currency in 2011, 2014, and 2015, respectively. In nearby Poland, the United States has a more substantial presence of 5,000 service members. [1] [39] During the 19th century, Baltic started to supersede Ostsee as the name for the region. ", "The Annexation of the Baltic States and Its Effect on the Development of Law Prohibiting Forcible Seizure of Territory", "These Names AccuseNominal List of Latvians Deported to Soviet Russia", "Communism and Crimes against Humanity in the Baltic states", "Murder of the Jews of the Baltic States", "Country Profiles: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania", "U.S.-Baltic Relations: Celebrating 85 Years of Friendship", Annexed Baltic States: Envoys Hold On to Lonely U.S. Postings, "The intersection of Ethnic Nationalism and People Power Tactics in the Baltic States", "Swedish political attitudes towards Baltic independence in the short twentieth century", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia: Co-operation among the Baltic States", "Macroeconomic Legal Trends in the EU11 Countries", "Building methodology, assessing the risks: the case of energy security in the Baltic States", "The Baltic states should adopt the self-defence pinpricks doctrine: the "accumulation of events" threshold as a deterrent to Russian hybrid warfare", "Pilsonbas un migrcijas lietu prvalde Kda 404", "POPULATION BY SEX, ETHNIC NATIONALITY AND COUNTY, 1 JANUARY. The challenge is how to address Baltic security concerns while avoiding steps that would lead to a more unstable situation with Russia in the future. Overall population fell in each of the Baltic states in the years following independence, primarily because of the return emigration of Russians to Russia, as well as other out-migration to western Europe and North America. Any NATO expansion is sensitive for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who cited the issue as a justification, among others, for his invasion of Ukraine. NEW FOR SUBSCRIBERS: The three sovereign states on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea are sometimes referred to as the "Baltic nations", less often and in historical circumstances also as the "Baltic republics", the "Baltic lands", or simply the Baltics. NATO had no forces in the eastern part of the alliance until 2014, when it decided to deploy four multinational battlegroups on a rotational basis to the Baltics and Poland in response to Russias annexation of Crimea. NATO has two divisional and one corps headquarters, with Estonian and Latvian forces under a Danish headquarters that is based partly in Denmark and partly based in Latvia. [15], In the late 1980s, a massive campaign of civil resistance against Soviet rule, known as the Singing revolution, began. Create an FP account to save articles to read later and in the FP mobile app. Jan 12 (Reuters) - The Baltic States are talking to NATO allies about increasing military deployments on their soil to deter Russia, Estonia's prime minister told Reuters on . Despite considerable political turmoil in Finland, no such authoritarian figure took power there. Like Ukraine, the three Baltic states Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were once part of the Soviet Union. "We are aware of the fact that the Russian tanks, which are currently burning in Ukraine, were intended for a large-scale invasion of NATO countries, including Estonia," he said. Through the efforts of the Polish authorities in recent years, contacts with Russia have been virtually frozen, a shameful war with Soviet monuments has been launched, attempts are being made to torpedo Russian energy projects, a large-scale anti-Russian information campaign is being carried out, history is being falsified, and anti-Russian sanctions by the West are endlessly prolonged, it said. "From Empire to Independence: The Curious Case of the Baltic States 1917-1922." It is the United States that makes the NATO security guarantee fully credible. Belarus jails Nobel winner Bialiatski for 10 years; EU, US protest, Greece train crash: families of victims grieve as protests grow, Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Alex Richardson, Exclusive: Russia set to mothball damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines - sources, Russia close to encircling Ukraine's Bakhmut after months of fighting, UK says Ukraine forces under increasingly severe pressure defending Bakhmut, Germany asks Switzerland to sell mothballed Leopard 2 tanks, 'We're happy here': Antakya antique seller stays put despite quake, China parliament to review state entity reform plan, Legislative Law, Hong Kong court convicts 3 members of Tiananmen vigil group for security offence, IAEA's Grossi holds second day of talks in Iran on nuclear cooperation, Macron warns of sanctions if east Congo peace process is derailed, Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals. Road closures were common, as were bouts of deafening nighttime noise. Latvia and Lithuania followed a similar process, until the completion of the Latvian War of Independence and Lithuanian Wars of Independence in 1920. The Baltic states have been sounding the alarm since the 1990s. Delivered Thursday. But with NATO and Russia each blaming the other for creating instability in Eastern Europe, that may be a difficult task. The financial stability of the Baltic nations was an important prerequisite to their entering the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2004. For example, a Polish exercise last year, despite making generous assumptions about their access to advanced weaponry, ended with Polish forces being slaughtered in five days and the Russians poised to take Warsaw. In fact, in 1236, a chieftain named Mindaugas managed to unite some of the Lithuanian tribes into one political entity. A flag-raising ceremony of the three. NATO established a plan to defend the Baltic states after the Russian annexation of the Crimea in . The default username below has been generated using the first name and last initial on your FP subscriber account. In fact, in 1897, Jews made up 7.4% of the population, and were the second largest minority group in the country after Russians. 6.4 Baltic . Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded NATO withdraw all outside forces from the region and commit to Sweden and Finland never being allowed to join. Initially, attempts to Russify the Baltic peoples were overt, but later they were moderated as Russian immigration soared and the sheer weight of the immigrant numbers simply served to promote this objective in less-blatant ways. Military Politicians and decision-makers in the region still have radically different threat assessments. Baltic leaders have long pushed for a permanent basing of U.S. troops, seeing it as the ultimate deterrent against a Russian invasion. Each battalion is led by a framework nationthe United Kingdom in Estonia, Canada in Latvia, Germany in Lithuania, and the United States in Poland. In the event of a Russian provocation, would Germany back deterrence or call for dialog and compromise? Russian cyberattacks and sub-threshold warfare are already evident; Sweden, for example, is worried by mysterious drone flights. As World War I came to a close, Lithuania declared independence and Latvia formed a provisional government. This meaning is retained in the two modern Baltic languages, where baltas in Lithuanian and balts in Latvian mean 'white'. Generally, they shortly encountered the following problems: high inflation, high unemployment, low economic growth and high government debt. Download the FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Neighboring Norway, though not a littoral state, is closely involved in Baltic Sea security through its logistical, intelligence, and military aviation capabilities. 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. In 2002, the Baltic governments applied to join the European Union and become members of NATO. In the United States this momentous historical decision is commonly framed either as one of the greatest U.S. foreign policy achievements or an ill-advised move that diluted the alliance by taking on indefensible nations. With the advent of Foreningen Norden (the Nordic Associations), the term was no longer used for Sweden and Denmark. 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. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. Chief writer on Russia and CIS. Explore the benefits included in your subscription. Clerc, Louis; Glover, Nikolas; Jordan, Paul, eds. This week marks exactly one year since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine. Click + to receive email alerts when new stories are published on 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. The area that now constitutes the Baltic States was first inhabited by Finno-Ugric tribes. 5,841,000. All three unitary republics, which simultaneously joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, share EET/EEST time zone schedules and the euro currency. [38] Terms related to modern name Baltic appear in ancient texts, but had fallen into disuse until reappearing as the adjective Baltisch in German, from which it was adopted in other languages. 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. 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. Before WWII, Estonians made up 88% of the population, but between 1945 and 1989, their percentage of the population dropped to just 61%. Doing that for the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuaniathree thinly populated states squeezed between Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic Seais hard. The call for an additional force presence . (when Erastothenes mentioned Baltia in an Ancient Greek text) and possibly earlier. In autumn 2022, Estonia like other Baltic countries, restricted travel over its land borders from Russia. Unlike Ukraine, they had joined NATO in the early 2000s, and now enjoy the. Each country guards its national decision-making jealously. Despite schooling available and administration conducted in local languages, Russian-speaking settlers were neither encouraged nor motivated to learn the official local languages, so knowledge of some Russian became a practical necessity in daily life in Russian-dominated urban areas. Estonia is the northernmost of the Baltic States. Further up the hierarchy, NATOs main land forces headquarters is in the Netherlandsbut splits taking charge on a six-month rotating basis with its naval counterpart in Naples, Italy. Because the three countries had been independent nations prior to their occupation by the Soviet Union, there was a strong feeling of national identity (often labeled "bourgeois nationalism" by the Communist Party) and popular resentment towards the imposed Soviet rule in the three countries, in combination with Soviet cultural policy, which employed superficial multiculturalism (in order for the Soviet Union to appear as a multinational union based on the free will of its peoples) in limits allowed by the communist "internationalist" (but in effect pro-Russification) ideology and under tight control of the Communist Party (those of the Baltic nationals who crossed the line were called "bourgeois nationalists" and repressed). Doing that for the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuaniathree thinly populated states squeezed between Russia,. Officially, its Russian equivalent (Pribaltiyskiy) was first used in 1859. The same legal interpretation is shared by the United States, the United Kingdom, and most other Western democracies,[citation needed] who held the forcible incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union to be illegal. The battle was fought in 1410during the PolishLithuanianTeutonic War. All are part of the European Union (EU) and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). One of the most important documents that the EU applied to improve the energy security stance of the Baltic states are European Union climate and energy package, including the Climate and Energy Strategy 2020, that aims to reduce the greenhouse emissions to 20%, increase the energy production from renewables for 20% in overall share and 20% energy efficiency development. The current divide between Lutheranism to the north and Catholicism to the south is the remnant of Swedish and Polish hegemony, respectively, with Orthodox Christianity remaining the dominant religion among Russian and other East Slavic minorities. [2], After the First World War (19141918) the term "Baltic states" came to refer to countries by the Baltic Sea that had gained independence from the former Russian Empire. The best way to increase the internal and external credibility of defense is to practice using difficult scenarios in real time. 6.2 United States. For discussion of the physical and human geography as well as the history of individual countries in the region, see Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Albania, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain contribute to the Canadian-led battlegroup in Latvia; Belgium, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway provide contributions to the German-led battlegroup in Lithuania; Denmark, France and Iceland contribute to the UK-led ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION AS AT 01.01.2018", "Home Oficialiosios statistikos portalas", "Employees fluent in three languages it's the norm in Lithuania", "Nida and The Curonian Spit, The Insider's Guide to Visiting", "Population by gender in regions, cities, counties and parishes at the beginning of the year - Gender, Territorial unit, Indicators and Time period", "Eurostat - Tables, Graphs and Maps Interface (TGM) table", "Defense budget to increase by 103 million", "GINI index (World Bank estimate) | Data", The Shadow in the East: Vladimir Putin and the New Baltic Front, On the Boundary of Two Worlds: Identity, Freedom, and Moral Imagination in the Baltics, 1914-1918-online.