|
July 2016
Friends of FPRI,
 The Baltic states have been at the center of U.S. politics over the past week. Asked whether the Baltics could “count on the United States” if they were attacked by Russia, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump responded “have they fulfilled their obligations to us?” That same week, Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House, told CBS, “Estonia is in the suburbs of St. Petersburg…I’m not sure I would risk a nuclear war over some place which is in the suburbs of St. Petersburg.”
After a year in which American political leaders repeatedly sought to reassure the Baltic states of the credibility of US security guarantees, it now appears that these commitments are more controversial than they immediately seemed. Leaders from the Baltic states quickly condemned the statements by Trump and Gingrich, and argued that they were valuable members of NATO.
This month also saw the publication of one additional piece in our Baltic Bulletin series. Una Bergmane’s article “Latvia’s Debate about Russian Propaganda” examined the difficult choices Baltic states face when addressing Russian media outlets. In Latvia, the government has placed restrictions on Russian language channels deemed to violate rules prohibiting incitement to hatred. Bergmane asks whether such restrictions work, and whether they are congruent with Latvia’s democratic norms and European commitments.
August will be a busy month for the Baltic Bulletin, as we publish pieces on Brexit and the Baltics, on Estonia’s upcoming presidential election, and on what NATO’s Warsaw Summit means for the Baltic states.
Don't forget to follow us on twitter @BalticBulletin!
Best regards,
Chris Miller
Editor, Baltic Bulletin
Our recent Baltic-related publications include:
- Una Bergmane, "Latvia’s Debate About Russian Propaganda." Baltic Bulletin, July 2016
- Johan Eellend. "Friends, But Not Allies: Finland, Sweden, and NATO in the Baltic Sea," Baltic Bulletin, June 2016
- Agne Cepinskyte, "Lithuania Reinstates Conscription: Implications on Security, National Identity, and Gender Roles," Baltic Bulletin, June 2016
- Douglas Mastriano, Jeffrey Setser, "Blunting Moscow’s Sword of Damocles Policy in the Baltic Region," Baltic Bulletin, June 2016
FPRI would like to thank the J.J. Medveckis Foundation, Audrey and Martin Gruss Foundation, Leo Model Foundation, Krista Bard, and others for support of its Eurasia Program, directed by Ambassador Adrian Basora and John R. Haines. The Baltic Bulletin and related work was made possible by this support.
|
