Vienne Abrahamian

Baltic Defense Line: Review on Enhanced Latvian Fortifications along the Russian Border

Baltic Defense Line: Review on Enhanced Latvian Fortifications along the Russian Border

By Vienne Abrahamian in Security

August 27, 2025

Introduction The 21st century has experienced a detrimental shift away from one of the most fundamental regulations of international stability since 1945: territorial borders should not be challenged with force or aggression. Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 defied international norms that aimed to set a precedent for national security and individual statehood. The subsequent invasions of Ukraine proved to the global community that Russia would go to extreme lengths to increase its sphere of influence over post-Soviet republics, causing widespread concern surrounding the idea that other countries could be next.

Memory as a Defense Mechanism: How Historical Sentiments Shape Latvia’s Current Security and Defense Policy

Memory as a Defense Mechanism: How Historical Sentiments Shape Latvia’s Current Security and Defense Policy

By Vienne Abrahamian in Security

August 27, 2025

Introduction Latvia is a country just short of two million people located in between the two other Baltic states, Estonia and Lithuania. It is a relatively small country with a geographical size of 64,594 square kilometers. From the outside looking in, Latvia may appear as a small, peripheral state on Europe’s northeastern edge; yet beneath its modest size lies a nation shaped by profound historical trauma, cultural resilience, and a deeply layered political identity.

Russia’s Rising Threat on Arctic Security

Russia’s Rising Threat on Arctic Security

By Vienne Abrahamian in Security

August 27, 2025

Introduction The Arctic is a region in the Northern Hemisphere surrounding the North Pole, containing eight Arctic States: Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. Around a decade ago, ice caps and glaciers largely prevented exploration of Arctic territory; however, rising global temperatures that impact the Arctic around three times as much as the rest of the world has caused ice caps to melt, glaciers to dissipate, and permafrost to thaw, profoundly changing the physical landscape of the area while increasing maritime accessibility.

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