Security in Eurasia has traditionally been studied
through a realist prism, emphasizing military
concerns and the pre-eminent influence of great
powers. Russia has long been considered to encompass
Central Asia in its security sphere on account of
the common Soviet legacy. China, on the other hand,
has been deemed to dominate security patterns in the
East Asian region, where its national interests are
dominated by competition with Japan and the
unresolved issue of Taiwan. Scant attention has
however been paid to the securitization of threats
by local state actors through discourse,...

After its return to independence in 1991, the small Baltic republic of Estonia faced the daunting challenges of developing its economy while maintaining its security with respect to its historic nemesis: Russia. A combination of geographic, geopolitical and economic factors, which at first glance seemed to relegate the country to the uncomfortable position of Europe-Russia borderland, were nevertheless harnessed by national elites to establish a successful and functioning free-market democracy. This book demonstrates how Estonia's energy and economic policies played a pre-eminent role in...