Comments on: The U.S. & Russia: The Baltic Perspective http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/06/17/baltic-differences-to-russia-and-the-us/ A fresh look at the thorns between the USA and the EU Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:34:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Eugene Holman http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/06/17/baltic-differences-to-russia-and-the-us/#comment-43 Eugene Holman Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:48:34 +0000 http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/06/17/baltic-differences-to-russia-and-the-us/#comment-43 Inspiring as it may be to see that people interested in European affairs have finally learned to distinguish between the Baltics and the Balkans, this article demonstrates that much remains to be done. The word "Baltic" is used in many ways, but it never includes "Slavic". Geopolitically, "Baltic" is a convenient term for the three small countries, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania which, although quite different, suffered remarkably similar fates during the 20th century. Linguistically, the term can be applied to Estonian only as an areal designation. From the standpoint of its origins, Estonian is neither Baltic nor even Indo-European, but rather Finno-Ugric, and thus genealogically a close relative of Finnish and a more distant one of Hungarian. Estonian is the modern form of the language spoken by the pre-Indo-European population of foragers who inhabited the Baltic area before the arrival of Indo-European-speaking agriculturalists from the south more than four millennia ago. Latvian and Lithuanian, in contrast, are the two surviving members of the Baltic group of Indo-European languages, within which Slavic also constitutes a distinct group. Even today, Latvian gives the impression of being Lithuanian spoken with an Estonian accent, this reflecting the consequences of the northward expansion of Indo-European speech into territory once inhabited by speakers of Finno-Ugric lanuages. Culturally, Estonia and Latvia have a long history of interaction with Northern Germany, Scandinavia, and Lutheranism, while Lithuania has had more involvement with Poland and Roman Catholicism. All three also share a history of interaction, much of it turbulent, with neighboring Eastern Slavic cultures. High on the current political agenda of all three countries is dealing with the legacy left by the last episode of such interaction,. This was the motivation for the three Baltic foreign ministers' meeting at the Heritage Foundation. Eugene Holman Inspiring as it may be to see that people interested in European affairs have finally learned to distinguish between the Baltics and the Balkans, this article demonstrates that much remains to be done.
The word “Baltic” is used in many ways, but it never includes “Slavic”. Geopolitically, “Baltic” is a convenient term for the three small countries, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania which, although quite different, suffered remarkably similar fates during the 20th century. Linguistically, the term can be applied to Estonian only as an areal designation. From the standpoint of its origins, Estonian is neither Baltic nor even Indo-European, but rather Finno-Ugric, and thus genealogically a close relative of Finnish and a more distant one of Hungarian. Estonian is the modern form of the language spoken by the pre-Indo-European population of foragers who inhabited the Baltic area before the arrival of Indo-European-speaking agriculturalists from the south more than four millennia ago. Latvian and Lithuanian, in contrast, are the two surviving members of the Baltic group of Indo-European languages, within which Slavic also constitutes a distinct group. Even today, Latvian gives the impression of being Lithuanian spoken with an Estonian accent, this reflecting the consequences of the northward expansion of Indo-European speech into territory once inhabited by speakers of Finno-Ugric lanuages. Culturally, Estonia and Latvia have a long history of interaction with Northern Germany, Scandinavia, and Lutheranism, while Lithuania has had more involvement with Poland and Roman Catholicism. All three also share a history of interaction, much of it turbulent, with neighboring Eastern Slavic cultures. High on the current political agenda of all three countries is dealing with the legacy left by the last episode of such interaction,. This was the motivation for the three Baltic foreign ministers’ meeting at the Heritage Foundation.

Eugene Holman

]]> By: Pēteris Cedriņš http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/06/17/baltic-differences-to-russia-and-the-us/#comment-41 Pēteris Cedriņš Wed, 04 Jul 2007 07:41:26 +0000 http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/06/17/baltic-differences-to-russia-and-the-us/#comment-41 <i>"Foreign Minister Petras Vaitiekunas, with a strong Russian accent..."</i> A <i>what</i>? That would be a Lithuanian accent, not a Russian accent. <i>"A tougher stance came from Urmas Paet, the Estonian Foreign Minister, who was much more outspoken and than [sic] his Slavic counterparts..."</i> Neither Pabriks nor Vaitiekūnas are "Slavic" -- Balts are not Slavs. “Foreign Minister Petras Vaitiekunas, with a strong Russian accent…”

A what? That would be a Lithuanian accent, not a Russian accent.

“A tougher stance came from Urmas Paet, the Estonian Foreign Minister, who was much more outspoken and than [sic] his Slavic counterparts…”

Neither Pabriks nor Vaitiekūnas are “Slavic” — Balts are not Slavs.

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