Special Briefing: Why Isn’t Latvia the Next Crimea?

In the aftermath of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, many analysts predicted that the Baltic States were Putin’s next target, but those predictions did not quite pan out. In this discussion, FPRI’s Baltic Sea Fellow, Dr. Una Bergmane will address the increased NATO presence in the region, Baltic energy security, and the unique nature of Baltic Russian-speaking communities to explain why predictions of insecurity in the Baltics have proven false. Dr. Indra Ekmanis, Editor of FPRI’s Baltic Bulletin, will further explore this question from a different angle, discussing the civic and cultural integration among Russian speakers in Latvia. This event is dedicated to the special, Summer 2020 issue of Orbis, and will be moderated by Maia Otarashvili, who along with Chris Miller, has guest-edited the issue.