Will Vladimir Putin's Return De-pragmatize Latvian - Russian Relations?

Bukovskis, Karlis. Will Vladimir Putin's Return De-pragmatize Latvian - Russian Relations? Riga: Latvian Institute of International Affairs, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2012.

In this short article, Karlis Bukovskis examines the first months of 2012 in Latvian-Russian relations in the context of both parliamentary and presidential elections in the Russian Federation. Using the pragmatization trends of the 'Medvedev period' as a starting point, Bukovskis argues for the emergence of two paralell dimensions and discourses in current Latvian-Russian relations. The first dimension will consist of apparently worsening political rhetoric, while the other demonstrates the rapidly growing economic cooperation between the countries. The last two chapters of the article conceptually address the role of history in domestic politics and the mutual relations of both countries, as well as the factor of 'respect' as one of the defining elements of Russian foreign policy.