Modeling Peace with Russia: Lessons from the Baltic Region for International Security Policy

• In Event: Baltic Responses to Russian Aggression

Abstract

Russia’s war on Ukraine has unleashed forces that threaten regional security, world peace, and the international liberal order. In the transatlantic region, policymakers continue struggling to determine a strategy that will secure their nations’ vital interests amid the escalating conflict. While some argue that Ukraine should give up territory to bring about an end to the war, others point out that this would be rewarding Russian aggression and simply encourage more of the same. This raises the question: which is the more effective strategy in securing a lasting peace with Russia – peace through negotiation or peace through an effective military defense? This paper approaches the answer to this question in four parts. First, it examines the experience of countries in the Baltic Sea region which applied one of these two different strategies to the same aggressor during World War II. Second, it examines their approach to security following the end of the Cold War. Third, it examines their approach to securing their nations’ vital interests in the face of Russia’s war on Ukraine playing out on the edge of Europe. Finally, it draws conclusions regarding the more effective strategy in dealing with Russia in the Baltic Sea region specifically, what that means for those on the edges of Russia’s current war more generally, and provides recommendations for policymakers in the transatlantic region seeking to secure a lasting peace with Russia today in general.

Short Bio

Ginta Palubinskas earned her Ph.D. in Public Policy from George Mason University. She is currently a Professor of Political Science at West Virginia State University where she teaches international relations and comparative politics courses. Her research focuses on transatlantic security and defense with a strong focus on NATO. She is currently working on projects that examine how the domestic, foreign, and security policies of Western democracies and Russia impact regional and global security, as well as NATO’s ability to maintain peace.

Author

• Ginta T. Palubinskas, West Virginia State University