Baltic Ways

The Baltic states are stalwart NATO members today, but their membership was not assured from the moment they restored their independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union. They fought to overcome the reticence of other allies, then proved themselves as devoted partners on battlefields in Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, this alliance is once again in question. What does it mean to the Baltic...

In this episode of Baltic Ways , Dr. Indra Ekmanis speaks with Professors Violeta Davoliūtė and Ene Kõresaar about their contributions to a special issue of Slovak Ethnology . Co-edited by Davoliūtė, the issue focuses on slow memory. Kõresaar, together with colleague Kristi Jõesalu (who contributed to this episode outside of the recording), brought comparative research on slow conflict in Baltic...

On June 14, 1941, the Soviet Union deported more than 10,000 people from Estonia to Siberia. Eight years later, Soviet authorities deported 20,000 more. These deportations have left a lasting legacy on Estonian society, though the majority of the population today was not alive to experience them. Decades later, behind the Iron Curtain, those in northern Estonia got a peek of freedom, and the West,...

This episode of the Baltic Ways podcast welcomes Dr. Liina-Ly Roos , assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the German, Nordic, Slavic+ department. The discussion centers on Liina-Ly’s recent book: The Not-Quite Child: Colonial Histories, Racialization, and Swedish Exceptionalism (University of Washington Press, 2025), in which she analyzes films and literature that portray...

Over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees have come to Estonia at some point since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Of those, tens of thousands remain in the country, building their own communities and integrating with local Estonians. For many, art is an important assertion of Ukrainian identity, but also a bridge to their new neighbors. Scholar and filmmaker Parker Watt set out to...

Baltic Ways presents a bonus episode from our partners at the EUROPAST podcast. The EUROPAST podcast explores Europe’s most pressing challenges of public history, investigating the complex and contested spaces of public memory, memory activism, and best practices for engaging the public in a dialogue about the past. In this episode, hosts Professor Violeta Davoliūtė (Vilnius University, Lithuanian...

What is the ongoing relevance of Baltic Studies? As the new academic year gets underway, we speak with three scholars in the field about what it means to study the Baltic region today. What challenges is the field facing, and what might the future look like? What does the broadening of Baltic Studies beyond the three Baltic states mean for the field? Jörg Hackmann , the current president of the As...

Technologist Joel Burke is the author of the recently published Rebooting a Nation: The Incredible Rise of Estonia, E-Government and the Startup Revolution . He shares his insight with Indra Ekmanis on the country’s rise as a leader in e-government, technological exports in a globalized world, and what the US has to learn from Estonia in a moment of disruption. This episode was recorded on April 1...

Ukrainians have resisted Russia’s aggression for years. Since the full-scale invasion of their country in 2022, Ukrainian women in particular have taken on important roles on the frontlines, in civil society, and at home. Gražina Bielousova ’s research examines how Ukrainian leftist feminists advocate for their causes at home and abroad, facing distinct sets of challenges as they attempt to defend...

The Baltic Ways podcast welcomes back professors Margarita Šešelgytė (Vilnius University), Daunis Auers (University of Latvia), and Andres Kasekamp (University of Toronto) for a roundtable discussion on the first two months of Donald Trump’s second term and the US administration’s impact on the Baltic countries and broader Europe. This episode was recorded on March 14, 2025. “It's a bit of a shock...

Since restoring their independence, the Baltic states have focused on pursuing historical justice related to Soviet crimes, which included widespread repressions and mass deportations. Under the influence of international actors, the Baltic states have also engaged in political processes associated with Holocaust justice. Political scientist Dovilė Budrytė and anthropologist Neringa Klumbytė expla...

Baltic Ways presents a bonus episode from our partners at the EUROPAST Podcast. The EUROPAST Podcast explores Europe's most pressing challenges of public history, investigating the complex and contested spaces of public memory, memory activism and best practices for engaging the public in a dialogue about the past. In this episode of the EUROPAST Podcast, project researcher Rūta Vyšniauskaitė sat...

Ben Gardner-Gill sits down with Lithuanian political scientist Andžej Pukšto to talk about the results of the 2024 European elections, with a focus on two Baltic members of the European Commission: Kaja Kallas of Estonia and Andrius Kubilius of Lithuania. Both former prime ministers, Kallas and Kubilius have unique challenges ahead of them as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues. Kallas will lead EU...

The US election is approaching quickly with implications for America's allies in the world. Professors Margarita Šešelgyte (Vilnius University), Daunis Auers (University of Latvia), and Andres Kasekamp (University of Toronto) join a roundtable discussion on the impact that a Kamala Harris or Donald Trump presidency could have on the security and future outlook of the Baltic countries and broader E...

Baltic Ways kicks off a new slate of episodes with an introduction to hosts Dr. Indra Ekmanis and Ben Gardner-Gill , and previews of upcoming topics. Baltic Ways is a podcast brought to you by the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies, produced in partnership with the Baltic Initiative at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those...

Aro Velmet is an associate professor of history at the University of Southern California, where he is a historian of modern Europe, colonialism, science, technology, and medicine with an overarching interest in gender studies. For Baltic Ways , he shares insights into the progression of LGBTQ+ rights in Estonia and the broader region and the path that has led to legislative change over the past de...

What did commemoration of the dead look like in Medieval Livonia and how did memoria shape group identities in the region? Dr. Gustavs Strenga shares insights into his research and parallels with modern-day memory wars.  Baltic Ways is a podcast brought to you by the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies, produced in partnership with the Baltic Initiative at the Foreign Policy Research...

This year, NATO marks its 75th anniversary, while the Baltic countries celebrate 20 years as members of the alliance. Dr. Lukas Milevski speaks about the history of that inclusion, and shares his thoughts about the future. Milevski is a tenured assistant professor at Leiden University, where he teaches strategic studies in the BA International Studies and MA International Relations programs. He ha...

Dr. Janet Laidla shares her work on charting the roles and contributions of women at the University of Tartu from the early days of the Estonian Republic, and what it means today.  Baltic Ways is a podcast brought to you by the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies, produced in partnership with the Baltic Initiative at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. The views and opinions expre...

How do we remember tragedies? How do populations construct memories and memory institutions around these events? How can contemporary researchers begin to make sense of these complex landscapes? Dr. Margaret Comer of University College London joins us to discuss heritage studies, dark heritage, and her fieldwork in Russia and Estonia. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this wit...

How have Latvian and Lithuanian histories intertwined over the last millennium? Who was Queen Morta, a Latvian princess by birth who became the wife of Lithuania's first and only king, Mindaugas? How close did we come to a Latvian-Lithuanian state in the early 20th century? How do Latvians and Lithuanians see their shared commonalities today? James Montgomery Baxenfield, Junior Research Fellow at...

How did Estonian democracy erode in the 1930s? How did liberal dissidents express their discontent under a more oppressive regime? Why is political rhetoric important, both now and then? Dr. Liisi Veski, fellow at the Skytte Institute, University of Tartu, dives into this complex, informative world of letters. Baltic Ways is brought to you by the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies ,...

How have the Baltic States adopted new leadership roles in NATO? Why have they been so forward leaning, even in an alliance with many friends of Ukraine? Why are other countries listening to the Baltic States now? Will this leadership continue? Tomass Pildegovičs, PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge, dives into the dynamics of small state positioning within multilateral organizations. Bal...

How did the dissolution of the Soviet Union really unfold? How has the agency of the Baltic states been undervalued in studying this period, and how have those misperceptions persisted in the intervening decades. Dr. Una Bergmane unpacks the complex geopolitical history and draws carefully considered comparisons between the past and present. More information about The Politics of Uncertainty: The...

Do Russia and China really have a "friendship without limits?" How are the Baltic states positioning themselves in the shifting sands of global security? What sort of role could they have as multilateral coalitions seek to address China as both a strategic competitor and critical trade partner? Dr. Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova, head of the China Studies Centre at Riga Stradiņš University, prov...