EP109: Vytautas Landsbergis

Vytautas Landsbergis led the modern Lithuanian independence movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. 

Lithuania became the first of the fifteen Soviet Republics to declare independence from Moscow. This was a remarkably plucky move from such a small nation, but it changed the course of world history; two years later, Lithuania was an independent country, and the Soviet Union no longer existed.

Thirty years later, Lithuania is once again looking east at a Russia probably intent on swallowing up the Baltics again. Lithuania is a strong democracy, and is probably more steadfast and serious about its democracy than many other countries in the West. And there’s probably good reason for this; it knows democracy has maintenance costs, and it knows what it costs to leave democracy fall into disrepair. 

My guest today is Elisabeth Braw. Elisabeth is a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where she focuses on deterrence against emerging forms of aggression. She is also an Associate Fellow at the European Leadership Network, and writes for Foreign Policy and Politico Europe. She also has a book coming out in February called Goodbye Globalisation.