Identity Politics and Foreign Policy in the Baltic Region

In the Baltic Sea states—Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania—the intertwining of national identity, historical memory and security imperatives has profoundly influenced both domestic governance and external engagement. Identity politics in these societies stems from the legacy of shifting borders, diverse ethnic compositions and contested narratives of Soviet and Nazi occupations. Language laws, citizenship regimes and commemorative practices serve not only as markers of internal cohesion but also as instruments in diplomatic signalling. Foreign policy in the region is therefore shaped by a dual imperative: deepening integration within NATO and the European Union for collective defence, while managing a fraught relationship with Russia that oscillates between restraint and deterrence. Domestic debates over minority rights—particularly concerning Russian-speaking populations—intersect with wider European concerns about migration, hybrid threats and energy security. Political elites and movements deploy identity frames to galvanise support, affect alliance choices and influence EU policymaking on Eastern Partnership and neighbourhood initiatives. These dynamics carry broader implications for conflict prevention, the governance of memory and the formulation of inclusive policies in plural societies.

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Identity Politics and Foreign Policy in the Baltic Region publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in identity politics and foreign policy in the baltic region across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Identity politics: Mobilisation of political claims based on ethnic, cultural or linguistic group membership.

Memory politics: State or societal efforts to shape collective remembrance of historical events to reinforce particular narratives.

Regional security complex: Cluster of geographically proximate states whose security concerns are so interlinked that their national securities cannot realistically be considered apart from one another.

Euroscepticism: Political stance critical of the European Union and its policies, often based on concerns over national sovereignty and cultural identity.

References

1. The ‘cool war’ in the Baltic Sea Region: consequences and future scenarios... Baltijskij Region (2019).
2. Anti-Immigrant Eurosceptic Worldview in Estonia: a Comparison of Russian-Speaking and Estonian-Speaking Communities. Comparative Politics Russia (2024).
3. Military and political cooperation between Germany and Lithuania in the late 2010s to early 2020s. Baltijskij Region (2024).