Lithuanian Foreign Policy Review

From the Editor

The global economic crisis has affected virtually every country and every sector of economy or public policy. Lithuanian Foreign Policy Review has also had to adjust to the circumstances of the economic crisis and in 2009 releases only one issue instead of the customary two. We hope, however, that this is a temporary inconvenience and in the future our natural course will be resumed.

Apart from all other issues, the global economic crisis once again has raised the problem of relevance of international and regional cooperation. The economic crisis itself and its overnight expansion have confirmed the statements that globalization and interrelationships prevent one from feeling autonomous and protected from external perturbations. Yet the governments of some countries are still attempting to resolve their economic problems of by means of protectionism of domestic enterprises or financial aid plans, which does not always reflect the common goals of regional communities.

In this issue of Lithuanian Foreign Policy Review a lot of attention is devoted to the idea of cooperation within the Baltic Sea Region as well as to practical aspects of cooperation. Can this region become the most dynamic region in the European Union? Will the new strategy of the Baltic Sea Region help its countries to better exploit their interrelationships and become safer, more unite and more competitive? May the growing regional identity of the Baltic Sea countries and the formulation of a common political platform assist the EU in defining foreign platforms more clearly with respect to external actors, Russia in particular? A discussion of these and other questions is the subject matter of the present issue of Lithuanian Foreign Policy Review.

In recent years the relevance of cooperation among the countries of the Baltic Sea Region has grown once again. This was stipulated by the increasing concern about the ecological state of the Baltic Sea and especially energy security problems. Sweden’s Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2009 should pay particular attention to the problems of the Baltic Sea Region and promote more active solving of ecological and energy challenges.

The issue is opened by the article “Baltic Region in Becoming: from the Council of the Baltic Sea States to the EU’s Strategy for the Baltic Sea Area” by Finnish scholar dr. Marko Lehti. This article provides an overview of the formation of the Baltic Sea Region, political initiatives and their influence on the potential regional identity.

Dr. Lehti approves of the idea that the Baltic Sea Region may become a certain “model region” within the European Union. A more intensive use of regionalism tendencies could turn the Baltic Sea Region into the most dynamic and competitive space in the European Union. Basing his considerations on Anssi Paasi’s theory of the “new regionalism”, Dr. Lehti discusses four formation stages within the Baltic Sea space and makes the conclusion that currently it is important to enhance regional consciousness. It is this phenomenon that may provide the countries of the Baltic Sea Region with a stimulus to move onto a new regionalism stage.

Dr. Arūnas Molis in his article “Baltic Military Cooperation: Past, Present and the Future” provides a review of a specific sphere of regional cooperation – a military cooperation of the three Baltic States. Military cooperation among the Baltic countries was one of the most important partnership areas in the preparation process for NATO membership. However, after the accession to NATO, the motivation to foster military cooperation of the Baltic States has slackened significantly. On the basis of his survey of military experts of the Baltic countries Dr. Molis presents the main reasons why the need for military cooperation has diminished and what the prospects of the regional cooperation in this sphere are.

These times some projects in the domain of regional cooperation or foreign policy cannot be imagined without active support of the public. This is why the success of foreign policy decisions may depend on interrelationships among foreign policy makers, the public, and the media. This is the issue investigated in an interesting article by Milda Celiešiūtė. Her article “Media and Society: The Prerequisites for Influence on Lithuanian Foreign Policy” explores a few important problems: what influence media exerts on the Lithuanian public in forming opinions and standpoints on foreign policy issues, how actively the public expresses its interests and beliefs; and what sources of public opinion appeal to the foreign policy makers the most. Celiešiūtė has carried out extensive and thorough research that uncovers the problems of interrelationships among Lithuanian foreign policy, media and the public. The methodology used in this study may prove useful for an assessment of existing relations among foreign policy makers, media and the public in other countries.

In their article “Modern versus Postmodern Actor of International Relations: EU-Russia Negotiations on the New Partnership Agreement”, Laurynas Kasčiūnas and Rokas Grajauskas, Lithuanian analysts and experts of “Centre for Eastern Geopolitical Studies”, provide an analysis of the differences of activity methods between Russia and the EU in conducting mutual negotiations. The authors base their research on Cooper’s and Sorensen’s theoretical models and explore differences in the behaviour of the EU and Russia in mutual interaction. The core question of the article is as follows: why does the EU not have an opportunity to bring Russia further to “the European rules”?

Central Asia is concerned with problems that are absolutely different from those in the EU or in the Baltic Sea Region. Up till now Central Asia has remained a peculiar terra incognita. It is for this reason that Vadim Volovoj’s article “Problems and Fundamentals of Stability in Central Asia” provides an opportunity to look into this rather fragmented region. According to Volovoj, one of the most important stability factors of the region lies in the relationship between the authorities and local clans. The author believes that the model of the “sociopolitical corporatism”, which has formed in Kazakhstan, could serve as an example of relative stability in the region. Belarus’ scholar Dr. Michail Hurs sets out to investigate another stability issue: how changes in energy security affect

Belarus’ socioeconomic development. Recently this topic has become one of the most sensitive issues in Belarus-Russia relations. Dr. Khurs’ article „The Energy Security of Belarus as a Basic Condition of the Realization of the Goals of its Socio-economic Development” provides a discussion of important aspects and problems within the Belarusian energy system.

The Opinions section carries on with the energy topic. Latvian scholar Dr. Toms Rostoks presents a study that has been conducted by experts in all countries of the Baltic Sea Region. The Opinion “Energy problem” in the Baltic Sea Rim: is the Region Pulled Together or Pulled Apart?” investigates the most important challenges facing the Baltic Sea countries in their efforts at solving energy security issues. Summing up the research the author concludes that the countries of the Baltic Sea Region have very different views on the energy issues. Yet this should not be seen as an insurmountable obstacle to collaboration in the energy sphere. EU initiatives and aid for the development of a common energy infrastructure should provide a particularly big impetus to energy collaboration.

In his Opinion “The Crisis Challenges and Opportunities for Baltic Cooperation” Russian scholar and Chair of the Baltic Club in Saint-Petersburg Dr. Leonid Karabeshkin provides a summary of the most significant challenges and opportunities facing countries of the Baltic Sea Region against a background of the global economic crisis. Dr. Karabeshkin also suggests specific principles that could be considered in developing the agenda of the Baltic Sea Region.

The present issue of Lithuanian Foreign Policy Review is concluded by the Opinion by Prof. Raimundas Lopata entitled “Recent Lithuanian Debates on Lithuania’s Foreign Policy”. Recently Lithuania has witnessed lively discussions on what should be changed in Lithuania’s foreign policy. One of the most urgent questions in these debates asks whether Lithuania should review its relations with Russia and its foreign policy with respect to Eastern Europe. Prof. Lopata provides a summary of the latest articles by Lithuanian scholars on the needs and opportunities to change some of the aspects of Lithuania’s foreign policy and questions relevance of such changes.