Research On The Influence Of Western Countries On The Independence, Transition And Development Of The Three Baltic Countries

The Baltic States,including Estonia,Latvia and Lithuania,were the first republics that seceded from the Soviet Union.Geographically,the three countries are located between the northeastern shore of the Baltic Sea and Russia and Belarus.The Baltic States are Russian's traditional sphere of influence and the west port on the sea.With regard to the culture and religions,the Baltic States were deeply influenced by the European countries,especially the Nordic countries.Most of people in the three countries are Catholics and Protestants,and they never accept the Russian orthodox and Slavic culture.The Baltic States' geopolitical importance and cultural alienation to the Russia make the region a geopolitical position that the western countries are reluctant to give up.The western countries supported and paid attention to the independence movement of the Baltic States in the late 1980 s,and opposed the use of force by the Soviet Union in this region.After the 8.19 event of the Soviet Union,the western countries recognized the independence of the Baltic States.The Baltic States' main goals are guarding against Russia and returning to Europe after they regained independence.The western countries offered membership prospect of EU and NATO to the Baltic States for purpose of restraining Russia,and actively helped them to achieve rapid transition and reconstruction of national defense forces.After the Baltic States accessed to EU and NATO,they play important roles to transfer their transitional experience and European democratic values to the CIS.After the Ukraine Crisis,the Baltic States region becomes the forward position as the confrontation between the western countries and Russia has been escalating.In a word,the independence,transition and development of the Baltic States are always interspersed with the geopolitical game between the western countries and the Soviet union/Russia.Therefore,systematic research on the western countries' the policies and practices of the Baltic States' independence,transition and development can not only help to grasp the essence of the western countries' policies of the Baltic States,but also to explore the geopolitical game situation of western countries and the Soviet union/Russia.Meanwhile it is also of practical significance to study the transition of the former USSR's republics.These is also the aim of this paper.This paper includes the introduction and five chapters.The introduction explains the purpose and significance of the topic,summarizes the research status of the western countries' effect to the independent,transition and development of the Baltic States.The first chapter introduces the geographical and cultural characteristics of the Baltic States,and explains the non-recognition policy of the western countries to the Soviet Union's annexation of the Baltic States,which supplies necessary background information for the further research.The second chapter discusses the position and role of western countries in achieving the independence of the Baltic States.The third chapter studies the process of the Baltic States' transition and accession to the European Union according to the EU standard and with the extensive assistance and supervision of the western countries.The fourth chapter discusses the continuing influence of the EU's legal system and policies on the internal affairs and foreign affairs of the Baltic States and it's characteristic.The fifth chapter discusses the geopolitical game between western countries and Russia over the Baltic States' accession to NATO and the influence on the Baltic States' national security policy after joining NATO.This paper attempts to make a breakthrough and innovation in the following three aspects:First of all,the study is carried out from the perspective of external influence of western countries on the independence of the Baltic States.In compared with previous scholars' exploring of the Baltic States' independence focused on the internal factors,this paper analyzes the position and practice of western countries over some details such as the Lithuanian April crisis,the bloodshed in Vilnius and Riga,etc.during the independent movement of the three countries,and draw a conclusion.Although some scholars saw the collapse of the Soviet Union as a result of the western peaceful evolution,this paper argues that it is not the western countries' long-term strategy but the evolution of internal situation in the Soviet Union that pushes the Baltic States towards independence.Secondly,the Baltic States completed the transition and national reconstruction quickly and effectively with worse initial conditions than central and eastern European countries and were the only republics of the Soviet Union among the countries accessed to EU and NATO in 2004,that is inseparable from the strong support and assistance of western countries.In the past,the research on the transition of the Baltic States is limited to some chapters in the research works on the transition of Central and Eastern Europe countries,and focused on the analysis of the transitional process and achievement.The study on the influence of the western countries on the Baltic States' transition and reconstruction of defense forces is comparatively lacking.This paper systematically studies the process of the Baltic States' accession to the EU and NATO and draws the conclusion that to bring the Baltic States in the sphere of influence,the western countries ensured that the Baltic States had completed the transition and national reconstruction smoothly by setting standards,providing assistance and conducting evaluation and supervision,which made the western countries to play an important role in the transition of the Baltic States.After accession to the EU and NATO,the Baltic States must fulfill the obligations of membership and seek further European integration in order to strengthen their European countries identity,which ensure the policy objectives of the western countries to continually affect the internal affairs and diplomacy of the Baltic States.Although the accession to the EU and NATO is also the result of the Baltic States' initiative selection,there is also conflict between pursuing national interests and following western policies when they counterbalance Russia by taking advantage of the EU and NATO,which may bring challenge to the Baltic States in "internalizing" the system and value of the western countries.Thirdly,the geographical strategic significance of the Baltic States is less important than that of Poland and other Eastern European countries,but their special geopolitical significance to Russia makes them an unavoidable factor in the geopolitical competition between the western countries and the Soviet union/Russia.The study on the influence of the western countries on the Baltic States' independence,transition and development provides a new perspective to explore the geopolitical game between the western countries and the Soviet union/Russia.Through the study on the geopolitical game between the western countries and the Soviet union/Russia related to the Baltic States' independence and accession to the EU and NATO,this paper concludes that the western countries' policies to the Baltic states are subject to their policies to the Soviet union/Russia.The strength of the western countries' influence on the Baltic States depends on the conflict and cooperation between the western countries and the Soviet union/Russia.