Case 230 - From Russia to Kaliningrad: The Case of Russian Transit Rights Through Lithuania

Lazdinis, Audrius and Jeanne Hey

This case study describes the Lithuanian-Russian negotiations over Russian transit rights through newly independent Lithuania to the isolated, yet militarily important enclave of Kaliningrad. The case analyzes  foreign policy decision-making in a small, relatively poor state (Lithuania) that has strong historical and contemporary ties with a large, dominant state (Russia), and portrays the nuts and bolts of working out bilateral agreements, helping students to become aware of how difficult foreign policymaking can be at the “practical” level in any country. This case can be usefully assigned along with “The Long Good-Bye: The Withdrawal of Russian Military Forces from the Baltic States” (Case Study 231).