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The Shadow in the East: Vladimir Putin and the New Baltic Front
'An insightful, nuanced account that highlights the present multitude of currents at play in Europe' - Peter PomerantsevThe Baltics are vital democracies in North-Eastern Europe, but with a belligerent Vladimir Putin to their east – plotting his war on Ukraine – and 'expansionist' NATO to their west, these NATO members have increasingly been the subject of unsettling headlines in both Western and Russian media. But beyond the headlines, what is daily existence like in the Baltics, and what does the security of these frontline nations mean for the world? Based on her extensive research and work as a journalist, Aliide Naylor takes us inside the geopolitics of the region. Travelling to the heart of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania she explores modernity in the region, investigates smuggling and troop movements in the borderlands, and explains the countries' unique cultural identities. Naylor tells us why the Baltics have been vital to the political struggle between East and West, and how they play a critical role in understanding the long running tensions between Russia and Europe.
- GenresRussiaPoliticsNonfiction
228 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 23, 2020
9 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 13, 2021
If you live in the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), and you hear Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, comment that the worst thing that’s happened to his country is the break-up of the Soviet Union, you might be a little leery of your country’s future. Especially now, after the seizure of Crimea from the Ukraine, one must wonder if the Baltic states will be Russia’s next attempt to restore the old Union.
According to Allide Naylor, who extensively toured the Baltics, anti-Russian sentiment varies, and its typically commensurate with the percentage of country’s Russian born population.
While it’s true that many of the Russians who live in the Baltics arrived there to evade or escape Russian politics, there is still a strong cultural bond with the mother country. Putin’s adverse reaction to NATO and Western influence creates tension. Russian Military maneuvers near the borders intensify Baltic leadership’s concerns. Is it possible, as in the case of Crimea, that the Russians will assert that these countries have historically been aligned to the East and not the West? Would this be a pretext for invasion?
As the author points out, these countries have already been the victims of Russian hackers many times. In fact, it’s become a proving ground for cyber-attacks which eventually are unleashed elsewhere against other western democracies. It’s doubtful that all of these attacks are government sponsored, but no one in the Russian government seems to want to thwart these bad actors.
Not all the content of this book is about politics. Much of it is about the cultures that exist there now; their art, their love of music, their cherished traditional beliefs and superstitions. We are reminded that these countries were inhabited primarily by peasants who lived off the land. Consequently, when dining at an Estonian restaurant one might find foraged wild mushrooms or berries on the menu. It is details like these that contrast with the ominous political overtones of the book’s main theme: will the Baltic countries be once again subdued and subjugated to Russian rule?
According to Allide Naylor, who extensively toured the Baltics, anti-Russian sentiment varies, and its typically commensurate with the percentage of country’s Russian born population.
While it’s true that many of the Russians who live in the Baltics arrived there to evade or escape Russian politics, there is still a strong cultural bond with the mother country. Putin’s adverse reaction to NATO and Western influence creates tension. Russian Military maneuvers near the borders intensify Baltic leadership’s concerns. Is it possible, as in the case of Crimea, that the Russians will assert that these countries have historically been aligned to the East and not the West? Would this be a pretext for invasion?
As the author points out, these countries have already been the victims of Russian hackers many times. In fact, it’s become a proving ground for cyber-attacks which eventually are unleashed elsewhere against other western democracies. It’s doubtful that all of these attacks are government sponsored, but no one in the Russian government seems to want to thwart these bad actors.
Not all the content of this book is about politics. Much of it is about the cultures that exist there now; their art, their love of music, their cherished traditional beliefs and superstitions. We are reminded that these countries were inhabited primarily by peasants who lived off the land. Consequently, when dining at an Estonian restaurant one might find foraged wild mushrooms or berries on the menu. It is details like these that contrast with the ominous political overtones of the book’s main theme: will the Baltic countries be once again subdued and subjugated to Russian rule?
January 25, 2025
Army superiors also made me read this book. It was a decent introduction to the geopolitics of the Baltic states, although the spelling errors were kind of bizarre and I think I could have read the Intro and the Conclusion and gotten the same knowledge out of it.
June 4, 2023
Interesting but too much detail. Could use a more in depth analysis.
lost-interest
January 25, 2024 (The English review is placed beneath the Russian one)
Книга напоминает сборник историй, которых связывает тот факт, что они прямо или косвенно связаны с Россией и прибалтийскими государствами. Главная проблема – отсутствие авторского взгляда (анализа) и хаотичный набор самих историй (крайне неуместная отсылка к изнасилованием прибалтийских женщин советскими солдатами, ибо автор не сопровождает данные события контекстом и общей информацией, т.к. сколько, когда и кем были изнасилованы) из-за чего складывается ощущение, что непосредственно автору сказать нечего, поэтому именно истории и должны говорить сами за себя. Возможно, такой подход и работает, вот только подобных историй можно найти в отношении почти каждой страны.
В книге отсутствует целостная картина. Исторические ссылки смотрятся лишними – автору следовало бы сфокусироваться на более глубоком исследовании темы, сегодняшних событий.
The book resembles a collection of stories that are connected
by the fact that they are directly or indirectly connected to Russia and the Baltic states. The main problem is the lack of the author's view (analysis) and chaotic set of stories themselves (an extremely inappropriate reference to the rape of Baltic women by Soviet soldiers because the author does not accompany these events with context and general information, such as how many, when and by whom they were raped), because of which there is a feeling that the author has nothing to say directly, so it is the stories that should speak for themselves. This approach may work, but you can find similar stories about almost every country.
The book lacks a holistic picture. The historical references look superfluous - the author should have focused on a deeper research of the topic, today's events.
Книга напоминает сборник историй, которых связывает тот факт, что они прямо или косвенно связаны с Россией и прибалтийскими государствами. Главная проблема – отсутствие авторского взгляда (анализа) и хаотичный набор самих историй (крайне неуместная отсылка к изнасилованием прибалтийских женщин советскими солдатами, ибо автор не сопровождает данные события контекстом и общей информацией, т.к. сколько, когда и кем были изнасилованы) из-за чего складывается ощущение, что непосредственно автору сказать нечего, поэтому именно истории и должны говорить сами за себя. Возможно, такой подход и работает, вот только подобных историй можно найти в отношении почти каждой страны.
В книге отсутствует целостная картина. Исторические ссылки смотрятся лишними – автору следовало бы сфокусироваться на более глубоком исследовании темы, сегодняшних событий.
The book resembles a collection of stories that are connected
by the fact that they are directly or indirectly connected to Russia and the Baltic states. The main problem is the lack of the author's view (analysis) and chaotic set of stories themselves (an extremely inappropriate reference to the rape of Baltic women by Soviet soldiers because the author does not accompany these events with context and general information, such as how many, when and by whom they were raped), because of which there is a feeling that the author has nothing to say directly, so it is the stories that should speak for themselves. This approach may work, but you can find similar stories about almost every country.
The book lacks a holistic picture. The historical references look superfluous - the author should have focused on a deeper research of the topic, today's events.
September 25, 2020
As someone who is new to the history and sociopolitical issues of the Baltics and Russia this book was a thorough introduction to a perspective on the current climate of those regions. I found the personal accounts on the various topics to be quite fair in representation and insightful to the different perspectives on the 'ground level' to the numerous historical, geopolitical and social issues. One area which I took greater interest in was the light discussions surrounding domestic and foreign policy between each individual country -Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, and how there is a 'thin ice' approach to satisfying domestic interest whilst avoiding marginalising/aggravating the ethnic Russian populations in these regions and the Russian government by extension.
I would recommend this to people (particularly students) who have interests in the Baltics as a introductory source that serves its purpose to provide insight into the Baltics clearly and without forceful or apparent agenda politics. Also, the hardcover book is of high quality and looks lovely on the shelf
I would recommend this to people (particularly students) who have interests in the Baltics as a introductory source that serves its purpose to provide insight into the Baltics clearly and without forceful or apparent agenda politics. Also, the hardcover book is of high quality and looks lovely on the shelf
May 9, 2024
This is a good introduction to the Baltic states and has some extremely interesting vignettes. However, it is too short for how broad of a topic it is trying to cover and sometimes feels a little disorganized.
February 12, 2020
An interesting and insightful read for anyone interested in the Baltic states and geo politics. Would recommend.
April 3, 2021
Less analytical than I was expecting, but provided an excellent snapshot of where the Baltic’s stand right now.
June 12, 2020
I cannot emphasise strongly enough what an excellent book this is - a well-researched, articulately-written, and balanced overview of the Baltic States, which is no easy task for this complex region. This should be essential reading for anyone wanting to learn about the Baltic region.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews