Publisher's Synopsis
This book analyzes security developments in Lithuania since 1988, a period marked by liberation from nearly fifty years of Soviet occupation, the collapse of the USSR, and the integration of the country into NATO. Furmonavicius focuses on how Lithuania achieved liberation and how the country's consequent search for integration into the European and Transatlantic security framework has influenced the evolution of both its own and transatlantic security. "Furmonavicius' book offers an extremely useful and essentially pioneering interpretation of Lithuania's recovery of its national being." Anthony Packer (1940-2014), former Honorary Counsellor of Lithuania in Cardiff, UK "Furmonavicius provides a broad outline of Lithuanian history, with special attention to the period between March 11, 1990, and January 13, 1991. For this period, Furmonavicius cites many sources, many of them difficult to find. He provides a very useful bibliography for students of this period." Ignas K. Skrupskelis, Professor of Philosophy, University of South Carolina "In this detailed study of how Lithuania strove to integrate itself into European and Transatlantic security structures, Furmonavicius reveals the enduring importance of this strategic region, strikingly relevant to our own unsettled times." Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, Professor of History, University of Tennessee "Furmonavicius reminds us of the crucial role played by Lithuania in liberating itself from Soviet occupation and hastening the end of the Soviet Union, and highlights the strategic importance of the Baltic States for European security and stability. Furmonavicius uses unique sources, including documents from the private collection of US Secretary of State James Baker, interviews with President Vytautas Landsbergis and Foreign Ministers of Lithuania Juozas Urbsys and Algirdas Saudargas." Patrick Salmon, Chief Historian, Foreign & Commonwealth Development Office, UK.
