Non-Military Aspects of Lithuania Security Policy

Abstract

The Republic of Lithuania won its independence again in 1990 after the dissolution of the bipolar world. The young state had to form its own foreign and security policy, which needed to correspond with new international security environment. We can observe the reflection of security environment changes within foreign and security policy of states, as well as within international relations theory. The debate about reform, i.e. widening and deepening of security concept, was launched in the international relations two decades ago. The military, respectively national security did not offer enough space to analyze non-military threats and risks.

This article uses the Copenhagen school security concept as the framework for analysis, which makes possible to study non-military aspects of Lithuanian security policy, various reference objects and securitizing actors. We study economical threats like the lack of strategic resources, environmental threats like the possibility of accident in the Lithuanian power plant Ignalina or in Russian North-Western power plants and social-cultural threats like organized crime. Finally, we analyze the Copenhagen security concept and its usefulness as an analyzing framework.