Who Is Your Neighbor? Latvia in the Russia’s Sphere of Interest
Abstract:
<p class="MsoNormal">The Republic of Latvia is a high-income economy in Northern Europe, the EU and NATO member since 2004. Latvia has long been on the crossroads of the major European geopolitical players. Since the 12<sup>th</sup> century, it had been a part of Germany, Sweden, and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth before being incorporated in the Russian Empire in 1795. After a brief period of independent development between 1918 and 1940 Latvia was once again occupied by Russia, this time as one of the Soviet Socialist Republics. The restoration of independence came in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Communist Bloc; however, the Russian aggressive rhetoric and behavior towards its closest neighbors never stopped. This presentation spotlights the author’s personal lived experiences in the Soviet Union and observations based on the recent traveling in Latvia. It examines the signs of Russia’s long-term presence manifested through the built cityscape. The war on Ukraine has made Russia’s intensions in the Former Soviet Union space unambiguously clear. The paper analyzes the country’s general perception of Russia as Latvia’s neighbor and the renewed anxiety in Latvia that affects all spheres of life.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Dennis Dingemans Special Session</p>
Keywords: Latvia, Russia, the Soviet Union, geopolitics, history, observations, cityscape
Authors:
Elena Givental, CSU East Bay; Submitting Author / Primary Presenter