Dr. Atis Lejins, the founder and director of the Latvian Institute for International Affairs, visited the UW-Madison campus Tuesday to address current issues of Baltic States foreign policy.
In an attempt to raise awareness about the East European countries, the UW Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia sponsored Dr. Lejins' lecture, \The Baltic Miracle: EU and NATO Membership for Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia"" at the Pyle Center Tuesday afternoon.
According to Jennifer Tischer, associate director of CREECA, the organization exists on campus for the purpose of outreach through public service programming like this lecture.
""A lot of Americans are unaware of the significance of the European Union,"" she said.
Many Americans are ignorant of the fact the EU is potentially a great ally to the United States, but current differences in opinion over foreign policy, mainly the war in Iraq, have put that delicate relationship in jeopardy, Tischer said.
As an active member in the Latvian-American community, John Baltmanis, who attended the lecture, said he was proud, as a ""hyphenated American"" to bring parts of his culture to the ""American salad.""
Before his current work with the Latvian Institute for International Affairs, Lejins' life included a childhood in Australia, study at UCLA, and time as a captive of the KGB. He is also well known for fighting with the Afghan forces for freedom from Soviet control.
Dr. Lejins played an integral part in rebuilding Latvia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
America could have learned a lot from the reconstruction of Latvia, he said, referring to the current missions in Iraq.
Aside from projecting a peaceful and positive image to the western powers, he said acceptance to the EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organization was critical to reestablishing a stable government in Latvia.
Marking the country's acceptance to NATO in 2004 Lejins said, ""The miracle has been fulfilled, but it has not been easy.""
Dr. Lejins advocated the need for a strong, unified NATO and EU. The Iraq war is not good for us as an individual country or as an international organization, he said.
According to him, the United States set a precedent by rejecting NATO's assistance, but then requesting help for peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan. The EU wants an equal part with America on the international stage, but Europeans feel as if America starts the wars and they are left ""doing the dishes"" instead.
