The Baltic Region in the Studies of Russian Political Scientists

Abstract

The article attempts to characterize the latest trends in the development of Baltic studies in Russian political science. This area of research remains peripheral in the political regionalism and foreign regional (area) studies. The most visible problem of modern Baltic research is the definition of the object itself — the Baltic region. The Baltic region as a transboundary space remains an imperfect “l’economie-monde” and remains threefold: European, Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian; a symbol of cooperation and competition. The current situation in the Baltic studies is connected with the ambiguity of the region, which is noticeable in the clear division of interests of political scientists into two areas: the Baltic States and Fennoscandia. At the same time, the Kaliningrad region is an absolute priority in the domestic regional studies of Baltic issues. In foreign regional studies there appear occasional works devoted to Denmark, Germany, and Poland. In Russia, two administrative regions of foreign countries more often than others become objects of study, namely Itä-Suomen lääni (Eastern Finland) and Warmia-Masurian Voivodship (Poland). The topic of cross-border cooperation at the regional level is the most prominent in Baltic studies. Another major topic is the problems of Euro-Atlantic integration in the Baltic region. To date, several research centres have been established in Russia: in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Petrozavodsk, and Pskov. The main directions of studying the problems of the socio-political development of the Baltic region have been formed, publishing projects have gained a high reputation, and the institutional environment of the research community is being formed. Such a state of Baltic studies in Russia can be the basis for the development of a wider area of research in the field of cross-border regional studies.