Word: baltic
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...measure of how much the world has changed that Russians, who were masters of the Baltic republics for 50 years, now complain bitterly of discrimination at the hands of the new governments. In Latvia and Estonia, where Russians make up sizable minorities, the debate over where and how to grant them citizenship rights has soured relations with Moscow and strained ties with Western nations that long supported Baltic resistance. The struggle for independence has been replaced by the more complex and often divisive task of building democratic states from the communist debris. In all three countries, the promise...
...former Soviet army remain in all three countries, despite sporadic negotiations for withdrawal. Russian President Boris Yeltsin, faced with nationalist and economic pressures of his own, halted troop departures to punish Latvia and Estonia for what he termed "blatant discrimination" against ethnic Russians. Watching the political turmoil in Moscow, Baltic leaders are plagued by the fear that a coup could lead hard-liners to use the troops to retake the former republics by force...
Malaise and exhaustion have settled over much of the Baltics. Prices are prohibitive, economic reform is achingly slow and political development has stalled. "Life hasn't suddenly become bright and easy," says Kaupo Pollisinski, spokesman for the Bank of Estonia. The struggle for independence has left many Balts politically apathetic. "For two years I went to every demonstration," says Lauri Sillak, a 23-year-old Estonian artist. "I like independence, but I'm tired of politics now." The republics expected a disproportionate amount of attention from the West, but that has waned, and some Baltic leaders are worried that Europe...
...protracted debate over local Russians has distracted Baltic leaders' attention from other issues. A majority of the 1.8 million ethnic Russians are faced with the prospect of becoming unwelcome foreigners. In Lithuania, where the alien population of 20% poses little threat, all inhabitants received instant citizenship. But in Estonia and Latvia, where non-natives make up 40% and 50% of the population respectively, the citizenship issue is highly charged...
...Baltic governments manage to reform their economies without incurring dire levels of poverty and unemployment, the citizenship conflict may wane. Estonia, aided by its close cultural ties to Finland, has moved the most swiftly, issuing its own hard currency, the kroon, backed by gold reserves. That has complicated exchanges with Russia but helped increase foreign investment and trade...