Lithuania and Germany have a long lasting history, as Germany occupied Lithuania in 1915 during World War II. During this time, Germany saw their occupation of Lithuania as a strategic means, as they could garnish a stronghold in the Baltic Sea, use Lithuania as a source of agriculture, while attempting to cut off Russia. After this occurrence, in 1917 Lithuania wanted to gain their independence from Germany, as these two countries signed a declaration of independence, which allowed the countries to enter into diplomatic relations.
One historic day in both of these countries histories took place during the NATO summit in 2016. This can be seen as a historic day for not only the security of the Lithuania, but for the Baltic region as a whole. On this day, the NATO summit accepted the deployment of a 1000-strong multinational allied battalion to each of the Baltic States and Poland. Lithuania’s Battalion was lead by Germany, to help protect Lithuania through deterrence and defense, while enhancing involvement of NATOs forces in this region. President Dalia Grybauskaitė took this as a strong sign of allied unity as Germany wanted to strengthen relations with Lithaunia. This summit also had a joint EU-NATO declaration signed, which helped Germany and Lithuania as both of these countries are members of these organizations. This is part of the alliance`s deal of “enhanced Forward Presence”, as both countries look continue strong ties.
One way that Lithuania followed the lead of Germany is through their military. According to President Grybauskaitė, she believes that these two countries bilateral relations are at an all time high and through their military cooperation, Germany and Lithuania will continue to seek each other’s best interests to benefit their respected countries. Unlike when the German forces came to Lithuania during World War II when Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, Lithuania’s welcomed German forces to help protect against an increasingly aggressive Kremlin behavior in 2017. Military cooperation will continue to enhance the bilateral relations between these two countries and with a common goal of pushing back Russia, they have the opportunity to drive their foreign policies.
Lithuania and Brexit:
When analyzing the effects of Brexit on Germany and Lithuania, it is evident that their were two major differences on the impact of the UK to leave the European Union. From an economic standpoint, Lithuania is using this decision to help elevate their economy and grow a global fintech hub, as Germany is being forced to deal with the mess that Brexit has left, as they are expected to pay 15 billion Euros extra a year to fill the void the UK left. Germany already pays 30 Billion to the EU, which is the bloc`s largest contributor
On the other hand, Lithuania sees Brexit as an opportunity to expand and build their economy. Invest Lithuania state that 117 Fintech companies were not operating in Lithuania and in 2017 alone, 35 new businesses were registered. One of the main draws that Lithuania is using to entice businesses to invest in Lithuania is that being in the eurozone gives them the same status at every other big country, but it wont cost their business as much due to the benefits of cheaper living costs.
The European Commission, which is represented by Michel Barnier, who is the Chief Negotiator for the EU countries is responsible for the negotiations that took place between Brexit and the EU. The commission`s job promote what is best for the EU`s general interest and by passing Brexit, allowing the UK to leave the EU was in the EU`s best interest based off the commission. Along with the commission, the Parliament played a major role in determining Brexit, as this group of elected officials vote on legislation. The Parliament is the group that helped pass Brexit and without this group, it would have been unobtainable.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1035684/brexit-news-germany-uk-eu-budget-contribution
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/eu’s-role-brexit-negotiations
https://www.businessinsider.com/lithuania-fintech-brexit-2018-2
https://www.politico.eu/article/lithuania-nato-russia-baltics-germany-sleep-peacefully-thanks-to-german-troops/
Very good comparisons between Germany and Lithuania. It was clear what you were focusing on. I would go into more details about each foreign policy goals. I would also delve deeper into the effects of Brexit on Lithuania. What other consequences is Lithuania facing from it if it. I also would keep the advantages of Brexit on Lithuania in one paragraph and the disadvantages of Brexit on Lithuania in another. Overall well done!
I thought the analysis was very interesting and brought up many intriguing points. I found it really interesting that Lithuania and Germany were able to keep strong domestic relations after independence. It is interesting also, how they have been able to use their relationship on the global scale and have a positive effect on NATO and the EU, given their unique situation. I found it intriguing that they were able to set up strong diplomatic relations and work together after independence. I found it very striking how the countries differ on the fundamentals of Brexit and are effected so differently. Even though they are very interconnected with each other, Brexit seems to be a disagreement.