Lithuania's identity and place in Europe
LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Baltijos jūros regionas; Baltijos regionas; Europa; Lenkija (Lenkijos karalystė. Kingdom of Poland. Poland); Regioninis identitetas; Regioninė tapatybė; Užsienio politika; Baltic Sea region; Europe; Foreign policy; Lithuania; Regional identity.
ENThe article deals with some questions related to Lithuania’s self-identification, including the determination of the country’s geo-political location, the establishment of foreign policy priorities, and the setting of the direction of economic and cultural development. It examines the development of complicated Lithuanian-Polish relations and the circumstances of the choice of the trajectory of Lithuania’s movement to the West. The author holds the view that the country’s regional identity is not given for all time, but rather is chosen, at least in part. In the cultural sense, Lithuania is closer to Central Europe than to Northern Europe. However, this does not mean that Lithuania is not a Nordic but rather a Central European country. The issue of its regional identity concerns not only culture, but also politics, the past as well as the future. To the question: “Where should Lithuania search for its identity?” the author replies as follows: Lithuania is a country of the Baltic Sea region. The article presents arguments in support of this claim and deals with counterarguments directed against it. [From the publication]
- How deep is your love? : The Baltic brotherhood re-examined / Mindaugas Jurkynas ; Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University. Vilnius : Vilniaus universiteto leidykla, 2007. 203 p.
- Lithuania's democratic prospects / Larry Hubbell. Socialiniai tyrimai. 2012, Nr. 1 (26), p. 5-14.
