![]() States to sufficiently integrate Russians into civic society, and that we Nevertheless, it is imperative that observers recognize the failure of Baltic Society with the narratives of dominance portrayed in Western media. ![]() ĭifficult to reconcile the miserable experiences of ethnic Russians in Baltic Russians, which remains a severe problem for over 80,000 individuals in Estonia. which limited the usage of foreign, non-Baltic tongues in civic life andĮmployment - as well as the elimination of citizenship for thousands of ethnic Of stringent anti-Russian policies, ranging from the passage of so-called Superiority of ethnic Balts and disenfranchise Russian ‘occupiers’ who hadĮmigrated to the Baltic states during the Cold War. Their independence in the early 1990s, all made swift moves to re-solidify the To this Western phenomenon of Russian dominance. (Courtesy photo – ABC News)įate of ethnic Russians in post-Soviet Baltic states is diametrically opposed While clearly staged, their ubiquitous appearances on US media outlets make it difficult to conceptualize a society where Russians are weak or disadvantaged. ![]() Images like these show President Vladimir Putin projecting strength and assertive dominance. Seemingly irrepressible dominance, yet the status of ethnic Russians in theīaltics resembles that of a subjugated class much more so than a powerful one. It isĮxtremely difficult to conceptualize of Russians as a minority given their Portray Putin as masculine, strong-willed and exceptionally powerful. Of Russian President Vladimir Putin that frequent American media outlets: they Powerful, and their nation is something to be weary or suspicious of. United States, it is a common cultural motif that the Russians are strong and Lingering issue in these states on how to properly integrate a sizable RussianĮthnic minority into their respective civic societies. But Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia still face an endemic To countries in the Balkans that underwent similar transitions in the The three states have been comparatively successful since the USSR’sĭemise in terms of political and economic development, especially when compared Logical for scholars to take time researching, reflecting, and learning aboutĮastern Europe before conflict erupts, in order to mitigate the costs ofĭrive sparked my passion for researching the Baltic states, specificallyĮstonia. International community only appear to care about investigating events inĮastern Europe when the events pose severe and external threats to the region’s Viktor Orbán’s repressive and xenophobic rise to power in Hungary. Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula made waves in the West, as did Reserved for negative portrayals of its faltering post-socialist regimes. ![]() Whenever the region does manage to break into international coverage, it’s usually Russia, one of the key players on today’s global stage. Studying Eastern Europe would aid scholars and laymen alike in understanding Sinceĭialogue on American-Russian relations is ubiquitous both in the Ivory TowerĪnd at the kitchen table, it is nonsensical that the region placed squarely inīetween these two global powers is rarely discussed in international discourse. Physically and culturally, is the crossroads of the East and West. Importance, this relegation is unfair and unproductive. Instead, debacles in the Middle East and South China Sea are among the most highly publicized and hotly contested issues in the world, and Eastern European states are relegated to global obscurity and internal insecurity. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the international community’s watchful gaze has turned away from Eastern Europe and its Soviet environs. ![]()
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