Belarus and The Baltic States: in persuit for post-soviet identity in light of shifting relations with Russia

At present the foreign policy of the Russian Federation considering the Baltic states (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia) and the Republic of Belarus is under significant change. The article examines the formation of the identity of these states and their impact on relations with the Russian Federation. The socio-political and historical prerequisites for the formation of identity in the Baltic states and the Republic of Belarus are highlighted. Having a common Soviet past, the former republics of the USSR already in 1991 chose fundamentally polar vectors of development. The Republic of Belarus has built a new Belarusian identity on the basis of the social construct “Soviet man”, while the Baltic countries have chosen a different path – the methodical destruction of the ideological and socio-political heritage of the USSR as well as the fight against the Russian ethnic group on their territory. The author highlights the effectiveness of the modern Belarusian identity and pronounces the actual failure of the West’s attempt to construct a new Baltic identity based on anti-Russian sentiments. According to the author, an example of a win-win cooperation would be the Republic of Belarus, which plays the role of socio-political and cultural transit for the West and the East, can serve as a way out of the ongoing socio-political crisis in the Baltic states. A Eurasian reorientation would strengthen the shaky statehood of the Baltic States and would open up prospects for socio-economical cooperation with Russia and its partners.