The Baltic

This study looks at the ties that bind the countries around the Baltic Sea, tracing their history, politics, culture and economies. Its central question is why the region has developed such a distinct shared identity, and how that identity has held up against outside powers and against conflicts imposed on the area from elsewhere.

The author argues that this shared sense of belonging endured the Cold War, and that it can now serve as a foundation for cooperation among the Baltic nations. Such cooperation, he suggests, could help bring stability to the Baltic and to a wider part of Europe.