Lithuania in U.S. Foreign Policy During the Presidencies of B. Clinton and B. Obama

Abstract

The presidency of Barack Obama is often compared with the presidency of Bill Clinton, because many similarities exist between them such as warm relations with Russia, preference for soft-power instead of hard power, and so on. This article addresses the question of whether Lithuania's role in U.S. foreign policy is also similar in the two Lithuania was never the main factor that sharpened these relations-it only received its main security guarantees during the presidency of B. Obama.

The U.S.–Lithuanian Defense Cooperation and Arms Acquisition from the U.S.

“…Guard Regiment Vytautas Urbas (on the left) (Kažerskas, Brencius, & Vitkauskas, 2012) From 1994 to the present, Lithuanian troops have been actively engaged in NATO, UN, and U.S. led international peacekeeping and combat support missions. The most notable achievement to date was when Lithuanian soldiers and civilians were placed in charge of the (Jakštaitė, 2011;KA, 2005;Mix, 2020;WH, 2014).…”

“…The QDR released in 1997 promoted the benefits of regional stability and praised NATO leadership for increasing the size of the Alliance. The 2001 QDR and 2005 NDS both specified the requirement for the U.S. military to strengthen existing alliances and partnerships (DoD, 1997;2001; (JCoS, 1992;1995;2004;2011;.…”

“…In general, the topic of the U.S.-Lithuanian relationship has been of scientific interest, but the majority of studies have used a broader approach looking at the perspective of the entire region of the Baltic States. Gerda Jakštaitė (Jakstaite, 2019;2011; analyzed bilateral relation aspects during different periods (Clinton vs Obama;post-2014), focused on the military domain and indicated there were positive changes from the U.S. strategies towards Lithuania. Vaidotas Urbelis (Urbelis, 2003; analyzed the U.S. Grand Strategy and its effect on Lithuania prior to 2004, explaining the evolution of LAF and its involvement in international operations.…”