The Baltic Nations at the Crossroads

The three Baltic republics; Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, are finding themselves at a crossroads after gaining their independence for a second time this century. This paper will deal with the foreign policies of the three states during their second period of independence from 1991 onwards. My focus point will be their relationship with each other, dealing with interstate cooperation and joint ventures, and the limits set on this partnership by their separate historical backgrounds, resulting in different foreign and economic policies. Further hindered by their roles as competitors in the race to gain acceptance into the various security and economic structures of Western Europe. 		 
   

Introduction

 		 
   

Cultural Differences, a Short Historical Review

In this chapter I will present a short historical review of the ancient history of the Balics in order to explain the cultural differences existing between the three countries 		 
   

The Baltic States in the 20th Century

Here I will give a more detailed account of the history of the three Baltic countries from their first independence at the beginning of the 20th century, through the Soviet occupation, up until their second independence at the beginning of the 1990's. 		 
    Inter-Baltic Relations Between the World Wars  
    Effects of the Soviet Regime in the Baltics  
   

Independence, a Second Time Around

 		 
    Cooperation in the 1990's    
    Difficulties and Achievements  
   

Russian-Baltic Relations, Three Different Cases

 		 
    Estonia  
    Latvia  
    Lithuania  
   

Relations with the West

 		 
    The EU, an Economic Union with a Security Dimension  
    NATO or Only PfP  
   

Conclusions

 		 
   

References