Chair of Estonian Studies Lecture at U of T – Dr. Andres Kasekamp

Thursday, November 24th at 3pm-5pm Dr. Andres Kasekamp professor of Baltic Politics at the University of Tartu will be giving a lecture on the topic: Baltic Cooperation: Past and Present. The lecture will be held at the University of Toronto Lash Miller Chemical Labs, 80 St. George Street, Room 159.

In English. No admission fee.

Abstract

The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania tend to be viewed from the outside as a single entity. Nevertheless, they have quite distinct identities and occasionally conflicting interests. Cooperation among Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians has achieved spectacular successes, such as the Baltic human chain in 1989, but has also been undermined by rivalries. This presentation will examine the various forms and structures of political cooperation between these three nations from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present, encompassing the establishment of independent states in 1918, World War II, Soviet rule, the Singing Revolution and the restoration of independence, and finally, membership of the European Union and NATO. Their relationship with Russia is a crucial variable in the analysis of each of these periods. The presentation concludes with a discussion of contemporary challenges.