Dalia Grybauskaitė. “Baltic Iron Lady”, who changed the narrative about “Lithuanian smallness” in foreign policy Cover Image

Dalia Grybauskaitė. „Baltic Iron Lady”, która zmieniła narrację o „państwie małym” w polityce zagranicznej Republiki Litewskiej
Dalia Grybauskaitė. “Baltic Iron Lady”, who changed the narrative about “Lithuanian smallness” in foreign policy

Author(s): Katarzyna BIERSZTAŃSKA
Subject(s): Diplomatic history, Political history, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Present Times (2010 - today)
Published by: Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN
Keywords: Lithuania; Dalia Grybauskaitė; small state; foreign policy; Lithuanian foreign policy; Lithuanian state identity;

Summary/Abstract: Lithuania ranks among the small states. Can a small state with a short history of modern statehood, 30 years after the USSR collapse, be heard and visible in the IR? What did the first woman as the President contribute to Lithuania’s foreign policy? How did she change the narrative about Lithuania as a small state? In this article, I attempt to find answers to the above questions and follow the changes in the narrative concerning one aspect of the state‘s identity, namely identification as a small state in the IR. To find answers, I have analysed all public statements made by President Dalia Grybauskaitė between 2009 and 2019. In these statements, I searched for references to the “small state” and the meaning that the President attached to this phrase. This article also provides new insights into differences in the narrative on Lithuanian “smallness” between the former Presidents and Dalia Grybauskaitė.

  • Issue Year: 75/2022
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 107-132
  • Page Count: 26
  • Language: Polish