The European Studies Council and the Baltic Studies Program at Yale present Dr. Una Bergmane, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for European Studies of the University of Helsinki, on her latest book entitled, “Politics of Uncertainty: the US, the Baltic Question and the Collapse of the Soviet Union”
Register to Attend on Zoom: https://bit.ly/BalticStudies-UnaBergmane
Marking the thirtieth anniversary of the Soviet collapse, Una Bergmane’s new book “Politics of Uncertainty: the US, the Baltic Question and the Collapse of the Soviet Union” aims to tackle the interplay between international and domestic dynamics in the Soviet disintegration process. Based on extensive archival research, this book investigates the triangular relations between the US government, Baltic independence movements, and Moscow during the perestroika years. The study demonstrates how in the space of three years Washington and its European allies moved from extreme prudence regarding the Baltic states’ claims to fully embracing their independence and weakening the USSR. It argues that this change was driven much more by uncertainty, domestic pressures, and last-minute decisions than by Realpolitik calculations and long-term strategy.