ФОРМУВАННЯ ГЕОПОЛІТИЧНОЇ ІДЕНТИЧНОСТІ НАСЕЛЕННЯ КРАЇН БАЛТІЇ

The article is dedicated to the study of the formation and development of the geopolitical identity of the population in the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). Geopolitical identity is interpreted as the awareness of individuals and groups of their affiliation with a particular geospatial political system, including its political values, norms, rules, and behavioral models, as well as their understanding of their place and functions within this system. State political institutions deliberately ‘construct’ the geopolitical identity of the population. They create a specific geopolitical ‘picture of the world’ to be embedded in public consciousness, along with a corresponding set of geopolitical images, myths, symbols, and other elements. The study examines the historical features of the formation of geopolitical identity in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. In the historical and political discourse of the Baltic states, their time within the Soviet Union is interpreted as Soviet occupation. The historical trauma associated with the tragic events of the Soviet occupation has had a profound impact on the geopolitical identification of the population in all three countries. Following the restoration of independence, national identity in the Baltic states acquired geopolitical significance. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, aspirations to integrate into the European Union and NATO fostered societal consolidation in each of these states. In Estonia and Latvia, the formation of geopolitical identity continues to be influenced by problems related to interactions with ethnic Russian and Russian-speaking minority groups. In the third decade of the 21st century, there has been a strengthening of the Western (European and Euro-Atlantic) identification of the Baltic populations. Public consciousness increasingly perceives the Russian Federation through a securitization lens, primarily due to the perception of an ongoing Russian military threat. In the process of geopolitical identification, there is a growing tendency for the population to recognize its affiliation with Northern Europe under the influence of security, military, political, economic, and cultural factors.