Lithuania: Stepping Westward by Thomas s> Lane (review)

Abstract

172 SEER, 8i, I, 2003 democracy in danger. 'Ethnicpolitics' can be a threat to democracy, but it is not the only one. School ofSlavonic andEastEuropean Studies TIMHAUGHTON University College London Lane, Thomas. Lithuania.SteppingWestward.Postcommunist States and Nations. Routledge,London and New York, 200I. XXXiX + 246 pp. Chronology. Map. Notes. Bibliography.Index. ?55.??; 7I16.99. LITHUANIA, seen by many as the tiny country that brought down the USSR, stillholds a remarkablefascinationforpeople in the United Kingdom, and the publication of Thomas Lane's book Lithuania.SteppingWestward has been eagerly awaited. While there have been a number of solid accounts of the prelude to the restitutionof Lithuania'sindependence in I99i, little has been writtenaboutthe eventsof thepastdecade, andhow Lithuaniahasre-emerged into the internationalcommunityafterfiftyyearsof Sovietoccupation. Lane begins his work with an extremely thorough history of Lithuania, charting its emergence from the Middle Ages up until the restitution of independence in I 99 i, as he (rightly)believes that it is virtuallyimpossibleto fullycomprehendeventsthathavetakenplaceinpost-SovietLithuaniawithout at least a grasp of what has gone before. While he draws heavily on noted chroniclersof Lithuanianhistory,such as Harrison,von Rauch, Vardys,Senn and Misiunas,Lane'sworkisa usefuladditionand foranyonewithoutprior knowledgeof Lithuania providesa solidgroundingon the subject. In the course of his history of Lithuania, Lane is unafraid of tackling the contentious issueof the Holocaust and the sensitivitiessurroundingthe degree of Lithuanianinvolvementin it. His analysisis one of the most comprehensive that has been undertakenoutsideIsrael.This bookispublishedat a time when the Lithuanian government has just appointed, for the firsttime in January 2002, a Vice Minister of ForeignAffairsspecificallyto deal with this matter. Lane also handles the equally sensitive subject of the Soviet deportations of the 1940s with extreme thoroughness. In the latter segment of Lithuania.SteppingWestward, Lane examines government and politics in post-Soviet Lithuania, the Lithuanian economy post-independence and Lithuania'sforeign and national securitypolicy. This is the portion of the book thathas been most keenlyawaitedby scholarsin this field. In his chapter on domestic politics in the decade since independence, Lane chartsthe confrontationswhich emergedbetween the Leftand the Right over how best to cope with the period of transition which followed the achievement of full independence in I99I. Although the mechanisms of an independent, democratic society were swiftlyput in place, the dissatisfaction of the Lithuanian electorate and its lack of confidence in the political leaders was demonstratedby a differentgovernment being elected at each poll. Lane notes how Sajudis -inspirational in leading Lithuania to independence was unsuited to the day-to-day role of governance, and how Brazauskas's formercommunists,which replaced it, were damaged by constant allegations of corruptionas well as chargesof economic mismanagement.Most topically, REVIEWS I73 Lane examines the emergence of the emigre PresidentAdamkus,and his role in steeringLithuaniatowardsEuropeanUnion and NATO membership. The greatesthurdle that Lithuaniafaced in the immediate aftermathof the Soviet occupation was the economic legacy of the failed Communist system. Lane splits this period into two: firstlythe period of transition, which runs until 1995, and the remainder:from I995 untilthe present. During the period of transition, Lithuania's economy was woefully mishandled by the government , which led to Lithuania lagging behind its Baltic neighbours. As examples of this, Lane highlights the inadequate and constantly changing policy of land reform, the unsuccessfulprivatizationpolicy and the failureto maximize foreign investment. The more recent period has, however, seen an improvement, although Lane reflects on the difficulty Lithuania faces in accessingher traditionalpre-Warmarketsbecause of the restrictivepolicies of the EuropeanUnion. Application for membership of the European Union is commented on in depth, along with that of NATO. This is a twin-trackpolicy that Lithuania's successive governments have all pursued since i99I. Joining both organizations is seen as the only way to counter Lithuania's ongoing sense of vulnerability. Even though a decade has passed since the restitution of independence, Russia remains the greatest concern and security threat to Lithuania. This situation is exacerbated by the existence of Kaliningrad:an enclave of Russianterritorysituatedto Lithuania'ssouth-west.If, as expected, the Prague Summit of 2002 admits Lithuania into NATO, there will be a piece of Russian territory surrounded by NATO members. When EU membershipfollows, Kaliningradwill again cause problems as Lithuaniawill eventuallybe bound by the SchengenAgreementwhich allowsfreemovement of people within the EU borders.Throughout his book, Lane demonstratesa clear...