In 1991, the Baltic states re-gained independence from the Soviet Union after roughly 50 years of Soviet domination. The primary benefit of this change was renewed sovereignty. The primary challenge was how to retain that sovereignty. This thesis offers a comparative analysis of the Baltic-Russian security relationship focusing on three aspects: the extent of the Russian threat, the extent of security from the West, and whether small state theory can account for the actions of the Baltic states vis-à-vis both Russia and the West. The thesis compares security issues in the Baltic-Russian relationship with the similar issues in other former-Soviet states. It also compares security provided by the West with security from the Nordic states. Finally, the thesis tests the main expectations of small state theory through Baltic-Russian and Baltic-West relations. The conclusion argues that though Russia did (and does) pose a threat to Baltic sovereignty, it is significantly less than the threat to other former Soviet states. Furthermore, the security provided by the West is less than expected when compared to security from the Nordic states. Finally, while small state theory is capable of accounting for most Baltic actions vis-à-vis Russia and the West, there are some shortcomings in the theory as regards this case study.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:509177 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Lamoreaux, Jeremy W. |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=58978 |
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