Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2018
Although a number of commentaries exist on the citizenship question in Estonia and Latvia, there is as yet no study that develops a conceptual framework which considers the particularity of these citizen-state formations and the implications that follow for ethnic relations. Based on a series of decrees culminating in their respective citizenship laws of 1992 and 1994, both Estonia and Latvia opted to exclude a third of their permanent residents, made up mostly of the Russian-speaking population, from being granted an automatic right to membership of the citizenpolity. This differed from the other post-Soviet states who granted citizenship to all those permanently residing within their bounded territory at the moment the declaration of statehood. This article, therefore, aims to redress this blank spot in conceptual theorizing by considering Estonia and Latvia as polities that come close to resembling ethnic democracies.
1. It should also be noted that most commentaries on the citizenship question focus on either Estonia or Latvia; there has been little attempt to examine them within a comparative context. Some of the existing literature include: Park, A., 1994, “Ethnicity and Independence: The Case of Estonia in Comparative Perspective,” Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 46, No. 1, 1994, pp. 69–87; Vetik, R., “Ethnic Conflict and Accommodation in Post-Communist Estonia,” Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 30, No. 3, 1993, pp. 271-280; P. Kolsto, The New Russian Diaspora (London: Hurst, 1994); Karklins, R., Ethnopolitics and Transition to Democracy. The Collapse of the USSR and Latvia (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994); P. Kask, National Radicalization in Estonia: Legislation on Citizenship and Related Issues, Nationalities Papers, Vol. 22, No. 2, 1994, pp. 379-392; M. Kirch and A. Kirch, “Search for Security in Estonia: New Identity Architecture,” Security Dialogue, Vol. 26, No. 4, 1995, pp. 439-449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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Total Population (1,000s) | Core Nation Population (%) | Russian Population (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Riga (Latvia) | 910.5 | 36.5 | 47.3 |
Daugavpils (south-east Latvia) | 124.9 | 13.0 | 58.3 |
Narva (north-east Estonia) | 77.5 | 4.0 | 85.9 |
Klaipeda (Lithuania) | 202.9 | 63.0 | 28.2 |
The choice of the four localities was based on a number of criteria: first, cities with sizable but differing types of Russian communities, including large immigrant populations; second, cities drawn from all three polities so as to compare responses with differing state policies towards citizenship; and, finally, localities where territorial secession is an option (Daugavpils and Narva). A random sample of 517 Russians were interviewed, balanced according to age and gender. For fuller details of the survey, see Smith, G., Nationality and Citizenship in the Baltic States. Report to the Institute of Peace Studies (Washington, DC, September 1994).Google Scholar
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