Упрощенная HTML-версия
Author : V. Olenchenko
Candidate of Science (Law), Senior Research Assistant, Center for European Studies, Ye.M. Primakov
Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Russian Academy of Sciences
RUSSIA'S RELATIONS with the European Union
and the United States are centered today on the
Ukrainian crisis - and not on Ukraine itself, which has
been and remains an inseparable cultural and historical
part of the East Slavdom, while the crisis is a product
of the forcible, foreign-instigated seizure of power by
the current Ukrainian leadership and is being made
worse by its incompetence.
The external governance of the Baltic countries has
been considered as effective. Governance structures
and practices evolved in the course of it have motivated its authors to extend its Baltic experience
to other countries. Among other things, external governance is an increasingly significant factor
in competition among foreign investors.
For objectivity's sake, one may hypothesize that behind the external managers' return to Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania was homesickness, that they enjoy wide support there, and that they are
determined to dedicate the rest of their lives to serving their homeland. But there is little factual
evidence of this.
In broader terms, are we not witnessing an attempt to get NATO to organize demand in Europe
for U.S. weapons in a bid to stimulate theAmerican economy by giving priority to the American
military-industrial complex? Latvia, for example, has already responded to NATO appeals and
decided to buy 67 million euros' worth of radio equipment in the United States.
These trends mean that NATO member countries are risk areas as investment
NO SERIOUS STUDY of anti-crisis policies in the Baltic countries is possible without exploring
the political environments in which theireconomies function. The foreign policy of Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania has some specific characteristics which differ it from that of any other EU
country, including the fact that it determines their domestic policies.
There is obvious reciprocal movement on the part of the Republicans.15 By and large, it is safe
to forecast that if the next U.S. president is a Republican, the Baltic countries will harden their
anti-Russian rhetoric and seek to boost confrontational aspects of relations between the West
and Russia.
What tasks should Russia set itself in its Baltic policy? It should support lobbies in Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania that want and are able to defend their countries' sovereignty and right to
independent policies aimed at safeguarding their genuine national interests.
http://interaffairs.ru
The Baltic Countries as Test Labs for External Governance