The Baltic States

12/1/2025

Overview

The Baltic Republics — Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — are small nations on the Baltic Sea. Once ruled by Moscow, since the fall of the Soviet Union, they have “leaned west” joining both NATO and the EU.  The Russian invasion of Ukraine, however, reintroduces threat from the east. Join Active Minds as we explore these three fascinating and inspiring countries.

Key Lecture Points

  • The Baltic States, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, are three nations that, while small, are increasingly a focus of geopolitics, particularly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.  Until its disintegration in 1991, the Soviet Union had encompassed these three nations.  Subsequently, they all declared their separate sovereignty.  Thereafter, they leaned toward the West, joining both the European Union and NATO in 2004.
  • All three have borders with Russia, and Latvia and Estonia have significant ethnic Russian and Russian-speaking minorities.  While they’ve taken measures to boost their native languages in their education system, the Russian minorities continue to be a potential disruptive force as well as a potential pretext for Russian aggression.
  • All three countries have completely cut their former reliance on Russian energy and boosted their military budgets.  They are affected by damage to several undersea cables that link various communication and infrastructure systems with other countries.  Russian ships are believed to be responsible.
  • While their history with Russia is comparable, each of the Baltic States has its own unique identity.  The most significant distinguishing factor for each is language.  Lithuanian and Latvian are the only surviving Baltic languages, although they are mutually distinct.  Estonian is more akin to the Finnish language.  Additionally, their unique histories set the stage for very different religious affiliations.

Discussion Questions

  • How do you feel the Baltic countries should deal with their Russian minorities, particularly issues of citizenship, voting, and language?
  • Looking at how NATO has expanded from its original 14 members, do you think it was wise to add so many countries that border Russia?  Should NATO admit other nations, like Moldova and Georgia?

More to Explore

For Further Reading

  • North, Michael.  The Baltic: A History. Harvard University Press, 2016. 448 pages. This is a comprehensive history of the Baltic region from tribal and Viking times through the European Union. 
  • Brokken, Jan. Baltic Souls: Remarkable Life Stories from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.  Scribe US, 2025. 432 pages. Personal stories of well-known people like Mark Rothko and more ordinary people and how they faced repression and liberation.