Baltic Sea

Many Western scholars studying Russia and policymakers dealing with Russia have long found it an exhausting and bewildering endeavor. Winston Churchill famously described it in 1939 as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” More recently, Bobo...

On October 6, 2018, Latvians voted in parliamentary elections, and the stakes were high as both a pro-Russia shift and a rise of a Polish-style illiberal democracy seemed possible. However, once again, Latvia stayed on its pro-European track, despite...

On January 17, Facebook shut down more than 350 pages and accounts linked to Russian state-owned media company, Rossiya Segodnya, and its radio and online service, Sputnik. Citing “coordinated inauthentic behavior,” the social media monolith nixed the 289 pages...

After the votes were tallied in Latvia’s October 6 parliamentary election, foreign news media headlines exclaimed that pro-Russia party Harmony dominated the 13th Saeima (parliament) elections. But this result was hardly surprising. Harmony’s first place finish is par for...

Every autumn, the Baltics host two significant conferences on defense and security: the Annual Baltic Conference on Defence (ABCD) held in Tallinn and the Riga Conference held in Riga. Of the two, ABCD is more narrowly focused on defense,...

This year marks the centenary for women’s suffrage in Latvia, but this milestone is not included in most celebrations of the 100 years of Latvian independence. Women make up 54% of Latvia’s population, but only 18% of current parliament...

Since 1945, the United States has promoted European economic, political, and energy integration, and one recent way it has promoted these goals is by supporting the Three Seas Summit and Business Forum, which took place in Bucharest, Romania, on...

On October 6, Latvians will elect a new parliament, and the results of these elections will have consequences beyond the borders of this Baltic state, as they might bring to power forces that would push for closer relations with...

When I was preparing to moderate a discussion with Senator John McCain, his staff members were firm. “Senator is going to be tired after a long trip and a dozen of meetings; you should end in 45 minutes.” I...

Earlier this year, Franco-German channel TV Arte released a documentary-style film, “Culture War in Latvia,” which ominously describes an extreme rift between Russian speakers and ethnic Latvians in the Baltic country. Following what has become a standard Russia-backed narrative,...