A Study On The Identity Of The Baltic States After The Cold War

In the early 1990 s,with the disintegration of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe,the Baltic States regained the independence.This paper analyzes the status quo of the three states' identity,the relationship of different identities,the reasons for the formation of identity and the related influence on the three states.The basic logical relationship in the article is that the normative environment affects the state's identity,the state's identity affects the concept of national interests and policies,and the state's policies create a new normative environment.After the end of the Cold War,the Baltic States gradually formed multiple identities,that is,the formation of sovereign state's identity around the system construction,history and culture and language groups,and state's defense and diplomacy;the gradually disappearance of the Soviet identity due to historical problems and sensitive realities;the construction of the EU identity with constraints and experience of the risks and challenges;the formation of NATO identity due to the close history and the reality to rely on.The multiple identities of the three states show the relationship between conflict and coexistence,in which the main identity is still an independent sovereign state's identity.The study found that the reasons for the multiple identities of the Baltic States are due to the normative environment at the national and institutional levels.The normative environment at the state level is embodied in the historical and cultural factors represented by ethnic identity,cultural traditions and collective memory;the state system and state-society relations represented by political structure,political culture and domestic social process,as well as transnational relations with Russia and the West.The normative environment at the system level includes international political concepts such as sovereignty,regionalization andglobalization,the international institutional mechanisms such as the CBSS,the transatlantic security community,and the interaction between countries on security and energy.Further analysis shows that the identity of the Baltic States has had a real impact on the diplomatic relations of the three countries,the relationship among the great powers and the regional situation,and the post-Soviet and EU normative environment.The influence on the post-Soviet normative environment is reflected in the policy towards nationalities and the transformation and development.The impact on EU is reflected in the integration process and the resolution of identity crisis.At the same time,the identity of the three Baltic States is also instructive on the reflection of the theory of constructivist international relations and the transformation of identity in Central and Eastern European countries.The reflection on constructivism is mainly embodied in the explanatory power of practical problems,the normative influence of the small country and the rising importance of the people.The change of identity in the Central and Eastern European countries basically includes six factors: goal,condition,path,mode,paradigm and trajectory.In addition,the discussion of the Baltic States' identity after the Cold War,may contribute to the cooperation between China and the three countries.