Sweden and the Baltic Sea Region

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rikard Bengtsson
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
European Level ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Post Cold War ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Eu

Swedish policy towards the Baltic Sea region in the post-Cold-War period reflects an internationalist approach aimed at institutionalizing regional cooperative mechanisms, along with a generic interest in managing relations with Russia. The Baltic region is of significant strategic interest to Sweden. From a strategic foreign policy perspective, the institutions-based approach to regional cooperation can be viewed as a formula for Sweden to multilateralize relations with Russia while simultaneously reaping economic and security benefits that stem from regional and European-level interdependencies. The roles that follow from this approach—as regional integrator and as normative critic of Russia—are increasingly enacted through European channels, primarily the EU.

scholarly journals The evolution of US political priorities in the Baltic sea region in the 2010s

Baltic Region ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 4-25
Author(s):  
P. E. Smirnov
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Eu Enlargement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Cold War

The fundamental geopolitical changes in the Baltic Sea region after the end of the Cold War caused the United States to revise its priorities in that part of the world. The process became especially apparent in the second decade of the 21st century when the Ukraine crisis brought to light the consequences of NATO and EU enlargement to the former Warsaw Treaty allies and the Baltic States. This article shows how the US, motivated by the need to ‘contain’ Russia, was developing its overall approaches to ensuring its political leadership in the Baltic region. It demonstrates how Washington is planning to reduce the vulnerability of certain nations of the region to Russia’s military and non-military influence and what steps the US and its NATO allies have taken in this direction. It is argued that, although the Western military buildup in the Baltic Sea region and the US attempts to neutralise Russian ‘hybrid’ instruments are unable to increase substantially the defence capabilities of NATO allies in the Baltic, the security dynamics in the region are likely to turn it into an arena for a struggle between Russia and the West. Russia will benefit from seeing the Baltic region nations not as tools in the Russian-US confrontation, but as partners in regional cooperation aware of their own interests.

scholarly journals Region-Building in the Baltic Region: Legacy of the Inter-War Period and Modern Dynamics

2019 ◽  
pp. 52-64
Author(s):  
Vladislav Vorotnikov ◽  
Alexander Chekov ◽  
Ul’yana Yakutova
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Multilateral Cooperation ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
Hanseatic League ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
The Eu

The article is devoted to the analysis of historical retrospective and modern dynamics of region-building in the Baltic region. The cultural and historical foundation of regionalization processes in this area was laid over the centuries, although the framework was finally shaped in the 20th century: the Hanseatic League, the first attempts to create regional unions during the interwar period, the “northern cooperation” and the signing of the Helsinki Convention during the Cold War. In the post-bipolar period, the Baltic region continues to maintain its political and socio economic heterogeneity. Today, the key institution of multilateral cooperation uniting all countries of the region is the Council of the Baltic Sea States, whereas, from the EU perspective, the main self-sufficient instrument of regionalization is the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. At the same time, both formats rely in specific projects implementation on “horizontal actions” and network cooperation on the grass-roots level, which makes regional interaction practical to the greatest possible extent, largely depoliticized and stable in the long run.

The integrative potential of science and research cooperation for suturing the Baltic Sea region in the 21st century

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-32
Author(s):  
Kazimierz Musiał
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Research Cooperation ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Science And Research

The aim of the article is to demonstrate how science and researchcooperation may help to reintegrate the Baltic region in the 21st century withthe participation of Russia. This is done through the analysis of documentsand strategies of Baltic Sea regionalism in the context of the regional knowledgeregime. Attention is paid to different positionalities of the regional actorsand their narratives. The theoretical framework is secured by an analysis ofcritical junctures drawing on case studies from the years 1989-91 and 2014 andthe subsequent reconfiguration of the power / knowledge nexus. The analysisshows that this reconfiguration actively contributes to creating and changingthe content and context of the Baltic Sea regionalism as based on new symbolic,economic, and political capitals. The conclusion points to the potentialof Russia’s involvement in the co-creation of the regional knowledge regimeand defines the conditions and methods of possible cooperation.

scholarly journals Impact of the new European Union landfill directive on the Baltic Sea region

2019 ◽  
pp. 393-404
Author(s):  
Bertil Paulsson ◽  
William Hogland
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Eu Directive ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Eu

The Baltic Sea region with population exceeding 100 million which in the future will constitute about one quarter of the population in the European Union if Estonia, Latvia Lithuania and Poland are accepted as members. These countries in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea region are foreseen a rapid economic and technical development. Technologies and industries from different parts of the world are invading and the generation of waste will probably increase drastically if measures for avoidance are not taken.Applying the EU Directive 75/442 EEC on waste, witch current amendments, on the presumptive new members will imply drastic changes for the countries concerned, environmentally as well as economically. In addition an EU Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfilling of waste is decided April 26 1999. The new Directive indicates a substantial reduction of the amount of waste ending up at landfill sites. Member countries of the union have started to prepare them selves for the new situation. Countries interested in becoming members might however not be aware of the cost of the new requirements. Investigations of the situation in these countries indicates that upgrading of their waste management to EU standard will require huge economic resources. Implementation of a new landfill system and development of close down programme for existing old dumps including post closure environmental control will demand economic resources and import of technology and technical education. According to the landfill Directive as little landfilling as possible should be carried out which means that the waste must be handled with other methods that are not commonly used in all countries. Those new technologies will probably to high extent be imported from the EU - countries rather then developed and manufactured locally. The new technologies introduced must be adopted to the local situation.

scholarly journals When Soft Spaces Harden: The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

2012 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Metzger ◽  
Peter Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Eu
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document