Regional Security of the Baltic States: Challenges and Solutions (original) (raw)
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Środkowoeuropejskie Studia Polityczne, 2018
The aim of the paper is to provide an analysis of security in the Baltic region , regarding the decision taken by NATO toward strengthening the security of the Baltic region when facing the threat from the East. It looks deeper into geostrategy as one of the keys to understand the vagaries of security dilemmas in the Baltic area. The article presents a situation analysis from both the Baltic states' and NATO's perspectives , having as a background recent actions undertaken by Russia.
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The concepts of development of territorial defence forces and capabilities are different within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and are closely linked with specific characteristics of respective nations. Moreover, it is linked with historic circumstances, culture, composition of society and other specific domains. Changes in the internal and international security environment are further affecting decisions about selecting specific defence and deterrence models. The security on the Eastern Flank of the NATO has progressed visibly after 2014 events in Ukraine, causing investments into Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian territorial defence as a recognition of their value to support their armed forces. The aim of the current research is to analyse the ongoing evolution of territorial defence forces of three Baltic countries in broader regional perspective in light of changed threat perception and risk assessments.
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The defence policies of the Baltic States are different and similar at the same time. At the external strategic level, all three are on the same line, given their almost identical threat perception and the united positions in NATO. But their armed forces have evolved in different directions: there are only rare similarities in military equipment purchases, and they have different approaches to recruitment and therefore the organization of their armed forces. Nevertheless, the Baltic States have engaged in vibrant trilateral military cooperation. This cooperation has received different assessments, ranging from being considered a bright example of regional multilateral military engagement to an endeavour lagging behind its true potential. This article revisits this cooperation in the “new normal” security landscape of the Baltic sea region.
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