Course Syllabus

Semester & Location:	Summer Session 3 2024 - DIS Copenhagen
Credits	3 credits
Major Disciplines:	International Relations, Political Science, Government
Faculty Members:	Miłosz J. Cordes, PhD (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Time & Place:	Classroom: F24-403

Course Description

The Baltic Sea Region (BSR) has been one of main areas of the East-West confrontation during the Cold War. Aggressive military plans were laid out by the Warsaw Pact member states to take over Denmark and northern West Germany had any confrontation emerged. For more than four decades, it was a sea that divided rather than connected although it also witnessed some early cooperation efforts, such as the Helsinki Act of 1974 or cross-bloc agreements related to environment protection.

When the bipolar world ended, BSR became world's most successful example of regional cooperation and integration. Intensive economic, societal and cultural links were established from Copenhagen and Rostock via Gdańsk and Klaipėda to Tallinn and Helsinki. They were backed by political framework, both exclusively Baltic (the Nordic Council, the Council of the Baltic Sea States), cross-regional (NB8 + V4) and pan-European (the EU). While some countries joined NATO, which increased the region’s Euro-Atlantic ties, others kept some distance. Finland and Sweden remained neutral militarily and Denmark decided not to get involved in EU defence cooperation.

At the same time, the BSR has seen increasing security challenges related to growing assertiveness of Russia’s foreign policy. Although the Russian regions of St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad were invited to join the integration efforts, Moscow never let them fully participate. Instead, they remained heavily militarised. It caused many security concerns in the Baltic States, Poland, Finland and Sweden, which increased in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea and waged war in Donbas, and peaked in February 2022 with a full-out invasion of Ukraine.

These events have brought back questions of Baltic Sea Region’s security led to breaking the nation-wide consensus. Denmark dropped its opt-out clause on EU defence cooperation. Finland and Sweden abandoned their neutrality policy and joined NATO. Together with sanctions introduced against Russia, it has given the security situation in the BSR a completely new dimension. On one hand, 9 states of the region are EU and NATO members. On the other hand, Russia's belligerent foreign policy is considered a serious threat for the region's integrity, especially in the Baltic States, connected with its allies only via Poland (the so-called Suwałki Gap).

The course seeks to grasp those new security developments in the Baltic Sea Region states, with particular focus on the Nordics (Denmark, Finland, Sweden), Poland and the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). It aims at explaining their concerns and picturing implications that Russia’s aggressive foreign policy has on their domestic and foreign policies, both on strictly regional and wider international level (EU, NATO and other international organisations).

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students will gain knowledge of the recent security developments in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) and its Central and Eastern European (CEE) surroundings. They will be able to put the in a broader geopolitical, historical and cultural context, which takes into account complex interactions between BSR international organisations, nation-states and other stakeholders.

The students will possess the tools talk about the following issues related the complex security landscape:

• The Baltic Sea Region as the pioneer of cross-bloc confrontation and cooperation during the Cold War period;
• Post-Cold War political, security and economic architecture in Europe with focus on the Baltic Sea Region;
• European and Euro-Atlantic integration processes since 1989/1991;
• Regional integration, including the Council of the Baltic Sea States and other regional and sectoral bodies;
• The new geopolitical rivalry in the Far North;
• Russian invasion of Ukraine and its influence on BSR and CEE;
• Role of the European Union, NATO and regional organisations in advancing the BSR and Far North cooperation agenda;
• Role of Kaliningrad Oblast, St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast in Russian foreign and security policy;
• the Baltic States and their security in the current international context;
• security dilemmas of the Nordics;
• Poland, the Baltic states and their role in NATO's Eastern Flank, including the Suwałki Gap.

Faculty

Miłosz J. Cordes

PhD in Cultural Studies, MA in East-European Cultural Studies & International Relations, BA in History & International Relations. Research Fellow at the Danish Foreign Policy Society (2021-). Casimir Pulaski Foundation Resident Fellow (2022-). External Consultant at the Danish Institute for International Studies (2023-24). Postdoctoral Researcher at Lund University (2022-23). Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellow (2006).

Miłosz spent 10 years in the Polish diplomatic service. He was Vice-Consul at Poland's Consulate General in Kaliningrad (2018-2021), Second Secretary at Poland's Permanent Representation to the European Union (2016-2018), Second Secretary & Specialist at Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (2012-2016).

Miłosz's research interests cover identity, politics of memory, nationalism & populism in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic Sea Region integration, as well as the West-Russia relations. He has published over 30 articles in international journals and is now working on his book about identity politics in Kaliningrad Oblast.

 

Selected readings

Please note that not all readings will be mandatory for everyone. Some will be assigned to selected students based on specific assignments and in-class activities.

• Olga Bogdanova, Andrey Makarychev (eds.). 2020. Baltic-Black Sea regionalisms : patchworks and networks at Europe's Eastern margins. Springer.
• Miłosz J. Cordes. 2021. Novgorod, violence and Russian political culture. New Eastern Europe. November-December, no. 6 (XLIX), pp. 91-98.
• Miłosz J. Cordes. 2022. Bornholm, Russia and the politics of memory. Source: https://lossi36.com/2022/05/08/bornholm-russia-and-the-politics-of-memory/ (accessed 2024-05-20)
• Miłosz J. Cordes. 2022. The Northern Flank: New Security Policy Institutional Framework. In: Dominik Jankowski, Tomasz Stępniewski (eds.). Policy Papers, 2022, no. 4. Institute of Central Europe, pp. 7-15.
• Miłosz J. Cordes. 2024. Kaliningrad Oblast 2024. Russia’s vessel of havoc on the Baltic Sea. Copenhagen: Danish Institute of International Studies. https://www.diis.dk/en/research/kaliningrad-oblast-2024
• Maria Domańska, Szymon Kardaś, Marek Menkiszak, Jadwiga Rogoża, Andrzej Wilk, Iwona Wiśniewska, Piotr Żochowski. 2019. Fortress Kaliningrad. Ever closer to Moscow. Warsaw: Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich.
• Andrzej Drzycimski, Janusz Górski. 2015. The Redoubt Westerplatte. Gdańsk: Oficyna Gdańska.
• Jan Eichler. 2021. NATO's Expansion After the Cold War. Geopolitics and Impacts for International Security. Springer.
• Francis Fukuyama. 1992. The End of History and the Last Man. Free Press. [or any other edition].
• Samuel P. Huntington. 2002. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. The Free Press [or any other edition, including the original one].
• Dominik P. Jankowski, Tomasz Stępniewski (eds.). 2024. The 2024 NATO Summit: Priorities for Transatlantic Security. IEŚ Policy Papers 1/2024. Lublin: Intytut Europy Środkowej.
• Josef Janning. 2024. Your Turn, Berlin: A German Strategy for Europe. DGAP Commentary 1. May 2024. German Council on Foreign Relations.
• Dina Khapaeva. 2023. Putin’s Dark Ages Political Neomedievalism and Re-Stalinization in Russia. Routledge.
• Michael Khodarkovsky. 2004. Russia's Steppe Frontier. The Making of a Colonial Empire, 1500-1800. Indiana University Press.
• Merje Kuus. 2007. Geopolitics Reframed. Security and Identity in Europe’s Eastern Enlargement. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Marek Menkiszak. 2023. Winning the war with Russia. The West’s counter-strategy towards Moscow. Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich. https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/point-view/2023-04-26/winning-war-russia (accessed 2024-05-20)
• Marek Menkiszak (ed.). 2024. Russia after two years of full-scale war. Fragile stability and growing aggressiveness. Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich. https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/osw-report/2024-02-23/russia-after-two-years-full-scale-war (accessed 2024-05-20)
• David Oualaalou. 2021. The Dynamics of Russia's Geopolitics. Remaking the Global Order. Springer.
• Alexandr Pushkin, Boris Godunov. A Drama in Verse. Translated by Alfred Hayes. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5089/5089-h/5089-h.htm (accessed 2024-05-20)
• Vladimir Putin. 2021. On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians. http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/66181 (accessed 2024-05-20)
• Siegfried Schieder, Manuela Spindler (eds.). 2014. Theories of International Relations. Routledge.
• Timothy Snyder. 2003. The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569–1999. Yale University Press.
• Per Erik Solli, Øystein Solvang. 2024. Deterrence and (Re)assurance in the High North – Finland and Norway Compared. https://www.nupi.no/en/publications/cristin-pub/deterrence-and-re-assurance-in-the-high-north-finland-and-norway-compared (accessed 2024-05-20)
• Sandis Sraders. 2021. Small Baltic States and the Euro-Atlantic Security Community. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Damian Szacawa, Kazimierz Musiał (eds.). 2022. The Baltic Sea Region after Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine. In IEŚ Policy Papers 11/2022. Lublin: Instytut Europy Środkowej.
• Peter Unwin. 1996. Baltic Approaches. ‎ Michael Russell Publishing Ltd‎.
• Ilya Yablokov. 2018. Fortress Russia. Conspiracy Theories in the Post-Soviet World. Polity Press.
  

 

Field Studies

The course seeks to use field studies as an inherent part of the learning process. They will take place in Copenhagen and its vicinity. Their goal will be to cement and deepen the knowledge gained during lectures and presentations.

We will visit three out of four of these locations:

• Stevnsfort, Denmark's best preserved Cold War Baltic Sea fortifications;
• Bornholm Garrison, Denmark's easternmost territory, directly exposed at Russia's A2/AD practices and provocations;
• Lund University to talk about Sweden's perspective on security challenges in the Baltic Sea Region.
• Louisiana Museum of Modern Art to talk about culture and security.

Guest Lecturers

During this intense summer course, we will talk to professionals from various fields: diplomats, military personnel, researchers and think-tankers. We will meet with them either in person or online.

Approach to Teaching

My teaching style is based on interaction with students. I employ different methods to make sure everybody in the class can feel their expectations and preferences are taken into account, such as: presentations, discussions, guest lectures, mock negotiations, movies, podcasts, classic readings, written assignments and field trips. The classes are dynamic and, although based on thorough preparations, they are never set in stone.

Expectations of the Students

The students are expected to actively participate in the classes not only by following the syllabus, but also by employing their own interests and skills. This course seeks to unleash the students' potential in the way that they would feel most comfortable with.

By active participation, I mean intellectual engagement, openness to new ideas and seeking out more information in the way that is interesting to the students themselves. This can mean making use of the course in their future professional career. My role is to help create links between the two.

Evaluation & grading

This class will be interactive and driven by student participation. I expect all students to actively engage in discussions and will make room for occasional student presentations. The final grade will be based on the following evaluation:

Assignment	Percent
Participation (attendance and active class participation)	30%
Field trip reflection paper	10%
Final assignment (topic to be agreed upon in class)	20%
Security & cinema presentations	20%
Disinformation workshop	20%

A detailed description of what is expected of students in order to earn a high grade in participation and simulation exercise will be provided at our first class session. Guidelines and expectations for the mock negotiations and the short research paper will also be discussed in class.

Academic Regulations

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org