Sovereignty Redefined

Abstract

The end of the First World War and of the Cold War can be seen as two ruptures of history that were accompanied by a redefinition of old practices and by the vision of a new Europe. The emergence of the three independent Baltic States and the idea of a Baltic Sea area were unifying factors between these two periods. In both cases, the emergence of new nation-states and region-building approaches has redefined the existing interpretation on sovereignty. However, it is argued in this article that while after the First World War the new states were themselves the main supporters of regional unions and of the idea of limited state sovereignty, they have been a barrier to change in the post-Cold War era. Nation-state centricity in the East has not readily mixed with new region-building efforts. Although some of the new nation-states defined their location in Europe through a Baltic Sea Region, the current Baltic Sea Region is a Western project controlling parts of the disintegrating East. As a project, it does, however, include postmodern elements and may be described as a territoriality without sovereignty.