Baltic States Approaches to Transatlantic – Indo-Pacific Nexus in the U.S. Foreign Policy: Shelter or Status Seeking?

• In Event: Security in the Baltic Countries Today -- Local, Regional, and Global Contexts

Abstract

The Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy, published in 2022, confirmed not only the administration’s clear shift of focus to the Indo-Pacific region but also indicated efforts to build bridges between the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic. The strategy stresses the European engagement in the Indo-Pacific and encourages more interaction among the U.S. Asian and European partners.
For the Baltic States, that have border with Russia, a country that started a war against a sovereign country, Ukraine, in 2022, and perceive the U.S. as their main security guarantor, such U.S. foreign policy changes are worrisome since these small states aspire to maintain the U.S. interest and presence in Europe. On the other hand, bridging the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic in the U.S. foreign policy for the Baltic States is an opportunity to position themselves as valuable U.S. allies.
Applying shelter-seeking and status-seeking theoretical approaches, the paper explores the Baltic States‘ stance to Transatlantic – Indo-Pacific Nexus in the U.S. foreign policy. How do the Baltic States position the Transatlantic – Indo-Pacific Nexus issue in their foreign and security policy? What instruments do these small states use to promote their interests among the U.S. decision-makers? What vulnerabilities and opportunities the Baltic States are facing due to the increased importance of Indo-Pacific region in the U.S. foreign policy? How the Baltic States use the Transatlantic – Indo-Pacific Nexus issue for their shelter and/or status seeking? These and other questions are analysed in the paper.

Short Bio

Gerda Jakštaitė-Confortola is a senior researcher in General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of
Lithuania. Her research focuses on transatlantic relations, U.S. domestic and foreign policy,
U.S.-Russian relations, international security. She is the head of the national research project
funded by Ministry of Defense of Lithuania “Impact of changes in transatlantic security area on
Lithuania and the Baltic Sea“.
She holds a PhD in Political Science from Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas where she
lectured on international relations and international security (2009-2023). She is the recipient of
a U.S. Department of State fellowship on U.S. Grand Strategy. She published extensively on
international relations topics, gave lectures in universities of Bologna, Cagliari, Aveiro, Perugia,
Trieste, Milan, and presented her research results in international conferences.

Author

• Gerda Jakštaitė Confortola, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy Of Lithuania