Baltic States Adjust Their Security Policy

The Polish Institute of International Affairs is an analytical institution established by an act of Parliament in 1996 to carry out research and provide expertise in international affairs. PISM disseminates information on contemporary international issues and maintains contacts with academic and political centres in Poland and abroad. The Institute runs courses for public servants, maintains a library (open to the public; 165,000 books and journals), organises conferences, and publishes books, periodicals and documents on Polish foreign policy and international matters.

The funding for PISM comes from the budget. The director is appointed by the prime minister for a term of five years, following consultation with the minister of foreign affairs. The minister supervises the Institute and appoints its advisory council, which includes a representative of the President of the Republic of Poland, academics and officials.Faced with uncertainty about U.S. policy in NATO and U.S.-Russia relations, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania attempted to adapt their security policy to these circumstances. Mainly, this involved a gradual increase in defence spending and an intensification of activity among the Baltic States after Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The Russian threat to these states remained the dominant determinant of the security policy of the Baltic States, which because of their limited potential in military terms would instead seek to specialise in areas highly relevant to NATO’s ability to deter aggression and respond to new challenges.