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Sept. 8, 2023. Press conference, Nordic-Baltic 8 (NB-8): Estonia, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Denmark
Baltic Politics and Society Today - Winter Quarter 2026
Instructor Guntis Šmidchens, guntiss@uw.edu
Who are the people of the Baltic and Nordic countries today, and what role do their countries play in current North European and global political and economic affairs?
This course was traditionally taught as a course about three "Baltic" countries, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. But another "Baltic" - the Baltic Sea - has over the past three decades become a highway where political and economic interests merged among the eight small democracies of Northern Europe. With Finland and Sweden joining NATO's military alliance, the consolidation of Northern Europe's security interests was complete. Nowadays, the "Baltic" three plus the "Nordic" five (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) often speak with a single voice, as the "Nordic-Baltic Eight" (NB8).
Politics is always also local. And regional politics emerge in broader institutional contexts. This class must thus work as a team to monitor breaking news in the eight multiparty parliamentary democracies, learning about government institutions while following...
- recent and upcoming elections;
- recent and current developments in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO);
- recent and current developments in the European Union (EU).
Course Objectives
- Learn skills useful for a job in international studies (foreign service, international business, public administration, world health, etc.):
- Research and write reports about current developments in Baltic politics, military security, economy, and society.
- Quickly find government documents.
- Navigate the web resources of the European Union, NATO, United Nations, and other international agencies.
- Follow breaking news... even when the news is in languages you do not speak, in countries you may have never studied before!
- Present your research effectively. Your portfolio of work done for this class will be evidence of your skills as an international studies researcher and analyst.
Grades
(students must pass all five components to pass the course):
- 30% Three reports (3-5 pages) on current issues in Baltic and Nordic politics, economies, societies, and security.
- 20% One report expanded to a research paper (15 pages).
- 20% Oral presentations and peer reviews of classmates' work.
- 15% in-class and online discussion of assigned readings.
- 15% in-class and online discussion of current news.
Reading
- Two textbooks offer historical background and frames for understanding current politics:
- Daunis Auers, Comparative Politics and Government of the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the 21st Century (Palgrave, 2015); available as an e-book through the UW Library website (Links to an external site.).
- Mart Kuldkepp, The Shortest History of Scandinavia (Black Inc, 2025).
- To keep on top of current issues, we'll navigate
- government websites,
- online public news portals,
- and analytical briefs.
- Other resources will also be compiled on this website.
Note on Religious Accommodations:
Religious Accommodations Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodationsrequest)