Lithuania: the Mouse that Roared

Few would think that the tiny country of Lithuania has an activist foreign policy agenda, wedged between Poland to its west and Russia to its east. But this country of just over 2 million people has played its part in pushing back the grey zone threat posed by ‘weaponised migrants’ from Belarus in coordination with fellow EU/NATO state Poland. It has also taken a firm stance against the worst totalitarian excesses of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) by overtly backing the Uyghur people of East Turkestan, Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters and supporting an autonomous, democratic Taiwan. In this episode of The Focus, John speaks with Lithuanian MP Dovilė Šakalienė. They discuss this tiny country’s counter-migration strategy against Belarus and its bold position against the PRC. What makes this Baltic state so strong in its convictions?