
Latvia Geopolitics
Latvia, like the other two Baltic republics (Estonia and Lithuania), is a small country that became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. During the two world wars it had already experienced a troubled period of independence (1918-40) and for this reason the Constitution in force today is still that of the first republican era (1920-34), albeit partially amended. Given its small size, especially compared to Russia, its geographic location and the fact that more than a quarter of the country's residents are ethnic Russians, relations between Riga and Moscow have been the focus of the country's foreign policy, as well as a important source of contrasts. Tensions between Riga and Moscow re-emerged with the status referendum of the Russian language (February 2012) and with the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises…