NATO’s open door (2004) with former President of Latvia Dr Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga

NATO Through Time

Why did the Baltic States and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe choose to join NATO after the end of the Cold War?
Why was the 2004 enlargement of NATO known as the “Big Bang” enlargement?
How do NATO’s smaller member countries contribute to the Alliance?
In this episode, former President of Latvia Dr Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga shares her extraordinary life story – from fleeing Latvia as a child at the end of the Second World War, to building a life in Canada for 50 years, to becoming President of Latvia after the country re-established its independence in 1991. Dr Vīķe-Freiberga reflects on her personal experiences, her country’s journey to becoming a NATO member in 2004 (alongside Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia), and on the future of NATO.

章

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. 1944 - Fleeing Latvia as a child during WWII (00:02:00)

3. 1954-1998 - Life as a Latvian in exile in Canada (00:09:35)

4. 1989 - The end of the Cold War (00:17:06)

5. 1998 - Returning to a free Latvia (00:18:48)

6. 1999 - Becoming President of Latvia (00:20:56)

7. Why was it important for Latvia to join NATO? (00:23:28)

8. Did the Latvian public support NATO membership? (00:24:58)

9. What do smaller countries contribute to NATO? (00:26:01)

10. The importance of defending NATO's eastern flank (00:32:19)

11. How do you see the future of the Alliance? (00:34:34)

12. Goodbye and reflections (00:35:44)