EU

Baltic Sea Security Initiative

By BSF Team in Activities

February 2, 2020

BSSI gathers Baltic Sea region experts to assess and recommend better solutions in the fields of defence, societal security, economic security and cybersecurity. The experts look at what the countries of Northern, Eastern and Central Europe can do more efficiently together to achieve stronger regional security. The initiative consists of eight workshops in the Baltic Sea countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark etc.). The main conclusions of the initiative will be publicly presented and discussed in a conference in Helsinki, Finland in the Spring 2020.


Belarus: An Overlooked Key to Baltic Security

By Matthew Thomas in Policy

November 24, 2019

Winston Churchill once famously quipped that “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”. A keen observer will notice that Alyaksandar Lukashenka’s Belarus is much the same. All too often, Western analysts have made the mistake of grossly oversimplifying Belarus’ relationship with Russia, as well as its domestic political affairs and broader foreign policy. This has led the West to neglect relations with Minsk, where despite a less than ideal government, great strategic opportunity lies, and where there is also significant strategic risk.


Regional Activities 2019

By BSF Team in Activities

October 31, 2019

October 2019 has been busy for the Baltic Security Foundation, pursuing our goal of fostering and promoting Baltic defense and security. The team has both participated in and organized events covering regional security issues. The Rīga Conference 2019 took place on October 11th and 12th. Mr. Olevs Nikers and Mr. Otto Tabuns were both invited to participate. The agenda included current challenges, such as the issue of EU and NATO identities as well as understanding European strategic autonomy.


Baltic Security Foundation Presents at the ECPR General Conference in Wrocław

By BSF Team in Activities

September 9, 2019

BSF President Mr. Olevs Nikers and BSF Director Mr. Otto Tabuns took part in the panel “Addressing Security Challenges in the Baltic Region through Multilateral Cooperation” of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) 13th General Conference September 5, 2019 in Wrocław, Poland. During his presentation “Sub-Regional Defense Synchronization – Theory Perspectives and Security Expectations for the Baltics,” Mr. Nikers outlined and discussed the origin and sustainability of the modern security alliance between small countries.


Is Baltic Security Important for the U.S., NATO, and Europe? Absolutely!

By Matthew Thomas in Policy

August 25, 2019

The three Baltic States are key members of the NATO defensive alliance. Since regaining independence after the illegal Soviet occupation, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia have all become deeply integrated into Western institutions, such as NATO and the EU. These small countries, understanding the potential peril of reoccupation by a resurgent Russia after the annexation of Crimea, have been extremely vocal in sounding the alarm that Russia remains a security threat. They understand that the West must get serious about security lest its more vulnerable members once more get trampled.