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1/ Day 7 of #NATO7for70 to commemorate 70 years of @NATO!
The seventh and final installment is "On Russia's Doorstep: Bringing in the Baltics"
The seventh and final installment is "On Russia's Doorstep: Bringing in the Baltics"
2/ Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia became @NATO members in 2004, along with Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
3/ While seven countries joined in 2004, the membership of the three Baltic states is arguably the most significant from a geopolitical standpoint: for the first time, NATO now bordered the Russia-proper
Note: "proper" is important, as Poland already bordered Kaliningrad
Note: "proper" is important, as Poland already bordered Kaliningrad
4/ A previous thread mentioned the "No Eastern Expansion Promise" debate: did 🇺🇸promise or not promise to expand @NATO eastward.
5/ Regardless of the "true answer" to that debate, the Soviets or the Americans, in 1990, likely did not envision @NATO expanding as far as Russia's border.
6/ Russian President Boris Yeltsin had made Russia's opposition to such extreme expansion very clear. In a 1995 speech, he said:
"Those who insist on an expansion of NATO are making a major political mistake. The flames of war could burst out across the whole of Europe."
"Those who insist on an expansion of NATO are making a major political mistake. The flames of war could burst out across the whole of Europe."
7/ More explicitly, he said,
“I’m against NATO enlargement. When NATO approaches the borders of the Russian Federation, you can say that there will be two military blocs, and this will be a restoration of what we already had.”
“I’m against NATO enlargement. When NATO approaches the borders of the Russian Federation, you can say that there will be two military blocs, and this will be a restoration of what we already had.”
8/ US President Bill Clinton seemed to echo that message:
“We’re trying to promote security and stability in Europe. We don’t want to do anything that increases tensions”
“We’re trying to promote security and stability in Europe. We don’t want to do anything that increases tensions”
9/ But when the Baltic states gained independence from Russia in 1991, NATO membership was immediately a policy goal.
Indeed, the Lithuanian President was so bold as to directly "apply" for NATO membership via a letter (which had never been done).
(Thx @NATO#Archives for 👇)
Indeed, the Lithuanian President was so bold as to directly "apply" for NATO membership via a letter (which had never been done).
(Thx @NATO#Archives for 👇)
10/ As then Lithuania Minister of Defense Audrius Butkevičisus said in a later interview:
“What we needed was a vision for the impossible”
“What we needed was a vision for the impossible”
12/ Since immediate NATO membership was closed, a first step would be for the Baltics to demonstrate their "value added" as members.
By the mid-1990s, due to the Balkan Wars, @NATO was focusing on deploying Peacekeeping operations.
By the mid-1990s, due to the Balkan Wars, @NATO was focusing on deploying Peacekeeping operations.
13/ This presented an opportunity. With the assistance of the Nordic Countries and a few other nations (namely 🇬🇧), 🇪🇪🇱🇻&🇱🇹formed the Baltic Peacekeeping Battalion (BALTBAT)
14/ This allowed the Baltic states to accomplish three objectives.
First, it allowed them to receive Western supplies to begin rebuilding their military forces. As Garry Johnson, Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe, said:
"They were starting from zero"
First, it allowed them to receive Western supplies to begin rebuilding their military forces. As Garry Johnson, Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe, said:
"They were starting from zero"
15/ Second, it allowed the Baltics to gain training in an area that could be perceived as valuable to @NATO (& also valuable to Russia, as maintaining peace in the Balkans was a priority)
16/ Third, it "signaled" to @NATO, namely 🇺🇸, that the Baltics could be "good citizens" if allowed in @NATO.
As a 1999 editorial in the Norwegian paper @Aftenposten remarked,
"BALTBAT almost functions as a preparatory school for NATO membership"
As a 1999 editorial in the Norwegian paper @Aftenposten remarked,
"BALTBAT almost functions as a preparatory school for NATO membership"
17/ This set the stage for the Baltics to enter the "Partnership for Peace" and then the "Membership Action Plan"
18/ Following the 9/11/2001 attacks and the US operations in Afghanistan, the Baltics were eager to participate in ISAF
19/ In some ways, the Baltic states pursued the same strategy as Turkey in the 1950s: take costly actions to demonstrate willingness to be a good NATO ally.
20/ All of the above helped the US to no longer be concerned about Russian reactions to Baltic accession to NATO.
21/ Indeed, US officials had changed their view on the issue by the late 1990s. As US deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott remarked during a 1997 speech at @Stanford:
“Quite bluntly, the Russians need to get over the neuralgia on this
subject [of Baltic membership]"
“Quite bluntly, the Russians need to get over the neuralgia on this
subject [of Baltic membership]"
22/ So at the Prague @NATO summit in 2002, the 19 NATO members voted to bring in the Baltic states. Here is the announcement in the official post-summit press release
