DANISH SUPPORT FOR THE BALTIC STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE 1988-1991: A HAWK-DOVE DOMESTIC CONFRONTATION
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Mikkel Runge Olesen
Danish Institute for International Studies
Published 2015-01-01
https://doi.org/10.15388/BJPS.2014.3.4869
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How to Cite

Olesen, M.R. (2015) “DANISH SUPPORT FOR THE BALTIC STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE 1988-1991: A HAWK-DOVE DOMESTIC CONFRONTATION”, Baltic Journal of Political Science, (3), pp. 83–99. doi:10.15388/BJPS.2014.3.4869.

Abstract

When the Baltic States regained their independence in 1991, Denmark had been one of their very strongest supporters, at a time when many European countries looked at the Baltic aspirations with caution. It was one of the first examples of the new post-Cold War “activist” Danish foreign policy strategy. It was not, however, without difficulties. Thus, the article argues that the Danish Social Democratic centre-left and Conservative-Liberal centre-right disagreed on how to support the Balts in practice and at what price. The difference was rooted in a hawk-dove disagreement over détente and the Soviet Union. Government party colour, the article argues, is therefore likely to have been crucial for the Danish policy. Had the relatively hawkish centre-right government not been in po­wer, it is very doubtful that we would have seen the kind of aggressive diplomatic support for Baltic independence as we saw from Denmark leading up to 1991.

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