The Nordic Countries and the European Security and Defence Policy

BALTIC PERSPECTIVES 377issues. The lesson they draw is that Russia is a strategic partner in the eyes ofthe other European states and is not to be mentioned as a threat. ‘The best thingis to shut up and do our work’, was one Baltic conclusion on how to ‘muddlethrough’ in the EU context. 58 ‘However, if the EU gets a strategy it could behelpful in discussions with Russia because it is large and has more tools to bargain.All our experience on discussions with Russia demonstrates that Russiaprefers to deal with bigger partners.’ 59Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have adopted the position of not singling outany state as a potential enemy in their national security concepts. Lithuania, inparticular, also stresses the need to cooperate with Russia. All three countriestake active approaches towards the countries of the Commonwealth ofIndependent States (CIS), in particular in the Caucasus region. While they aimat a cooperative approach with Russia, it is seen as a country capable of swiftand dramatic changes and with an ability to manipulate developments in Belarusand Ukraine. Therefore, unless Russian political, economic, administrativeand military reforms become deeply anchored and the country becomes morepredictable, transparent and democratic, the Baltic states will continue to see aneed to balance Russia with another strong power. The EU is not assumed tohave the will or the ability to play this role; it simply does not have the muscle.Furthermore, Russia tends to ignore the EU if the Europeans are not supportedby the USA. 60 Therefore, on hard security issues the Baltic states turn to theUSA.V. Providers of national security in the BalticThe national security concepts of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania each list anumber of actors with an impact on their countries’ security: the USA; NATOand the EU; and regional partners such as the other Baltic states, the othercountries around the Baltic Sea and the Nordic countries. The decisive role inthe Baltic states’ national security, understood as the defence of their territorialintegrity and sovereignty, lies with NATO backed by the USA. Generallyspeaking, NATO is in charge of military security, the EU of economic security.For Estonia, the ‘cornerstone of European security is the U.S. military presenceand consistent participation in the ensuring of this security’. 61 Militarysecurity is entrusted to NATO as the ‘only effective international defence andsecurity organisation’. NATO provides the ‘common defence of its Membersand the ensuring of international stability’. 62 Although people both inside andoutside NATO are increasingly challenging the existence of any automatic58 Interviews (note 1).59 Interviews (note 1).60 Chechnya is mentioned as one of the many examples where Russia is hoodwinking Western negotiators.See, e.g., Bendersky, Y., ‘The Chechnya factor in Russia–EU relations’, ISN Security Watch, 5 Oct.2004, URL .61 Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (note 9), section 2.4.1.62 Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (note 9), section 2.1.