Andris Banka
Biographic Data
| ID | 2447691 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Andris Banka |
| GIVEN NAMES | Andris |
| FAMILY NAME | Banka |
| SIGNATURE | BANKA A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Universität Greifswald |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9467-3470 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 19 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Dangerous allies? Small states and great power entrapment risks
Security alliances are often portrayed as vital tools for advancing US national objectives. Yet alliance networks, critics charge, also carry some undesirable side effects and risks. The so-called problem of moral hazard is one of them. In this context, US Baltic allies have long been spotlighted as prime suspects that may one day rope their superpower patron into an unwanted conflict. With Washington having their backs at all times, the argument…
The covert ties that bind: US-Baltic intelligence relations
This article seeks to capture a facet of US – Baltic relations that for the most part has played out behind the public curtain. As such, the following chronicles key twists and turns, achievements and failures in American – Baltic intelligence relations. A substantial body of scholarship has already examined cultural, diplomatic, and security ties between these actors. The same cannot be said about intelligence bonds. This article attempts to red…
Canada is a Big Deal Here”: The eFP Battle Group and Host Nation Public Opinion
Does personal contact between allied service members and local citizens result in greater public acceptance of foreign military presence? To what extent do members of the host nation's domestic society assess favorably the forward deployment of allied military personnel on their own national territory? Substantial scholarly literature has probed these types of questions in the context of US globe-spanning military deployments. This study, however…
Geostrategic context: Bridging alliances in the shadow of Sino-American competition
International audience
Dark money, US security guarantees and the twisting of allied arms
How can powerful states best extract domestic concessions from their junior allies? What are the conditions under which the powerful state is more likely to succeed in inducing such domestic policy change? This article explores the link between US security commitments and Washington’s ability to attain favourable policy outcomes within the allied domestic arena. It provides an illustrative case of how the USA, using security guarantees as leverag…
The Baltic predicament in the shadow of Russia’s war in Ukraine
Neither reckless nor free-riders: Auditing the Baltics as US treaty allies
Is it strategically wise for the USA to stretch its protective umbrella over small nations in Eastern Europe? Prominent critics have faulted US allies for acting recklessly and free-riding on US security guarantees. The evidence presented vis-à-vis the Baltic States, however, challenges these assumptions. This study paints a picture of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as loyalty-obsessed small states that diligently seek to meet their patron’s beha…
Uncomfortable neighbors: Nato, Russia and the shifting logic of military exercises in the Baltics
To what ends do allies employ military exercises? In order to further our understanding regarding the logic and utility of military drills, this paper focuses on NATO’s eastern flank. Specifically, with the help of newly compiled data, we tracked two decades of exercises in the Baltic states. Our analysis speaks to the fact that the size, tempo, and character of military training events in this region have manifestly changed. In the early 2000s, …
The Roots and Resilience of Pro-Americanism in the Baltics
Notes1 Kersti Kaljulaid, “Small Democracies in the (Post) Pandemic World: A Perspective from Estonia,” Latvian Institute of International Affairs, March 3, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stjg5aWgzOo.2 Edgars Rinkevics, “Intervija ar arlietu ministru Edgaru Rinkevicu,” Rita Panorama, May 24, 2018, https://ltv.lsm.lv/lv/raksts/24.05.2018-intervija-ar-arlietu-ministru- edgaru-rinkevicu.id131400.3 Mart Kuldkepp, “Baltic liberation first-hand: …
Reclaiming a good ally status: Baltic coping strategies in the America First world
What are the coping strategies of small states at a time when their great power ally questions its security guarantees? Faced with such a scenario, one strand of the literature proposes that small states will seek to establish a reputation of a “good ally” in the eyes of their security patron, thus reducing the likelihood of abandonment. Others, however, maintain that in times of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, small states will attempt to “…
Killing Norms Softly: US Targeted Killing, Quasi-secrecy and the Assassination Ban
This article argues that when actors engage in controversial new security practices, it is misconceived to view secrecy as an opposed, counterproductive alternative to the pursuit of legitimation. Rather, we propose, deployment of “quasi-secrecy”—a combination of official secrecy with leaks, selective disclosure, and de facto public awareness—can be an effective strategy for achieving normalization and legitimation while containing the risks enta…
Uncomfortable neighbors: Nato, Russia and the shifting logic of military exercises in the Baltics
To what ends do allies employ military exercises? In order to further our understanding regarding the logic and utility of military drills, this paper focuses on NATO’s eastern flank. Specifically, with the help of newly compiled data, we tracked two decades of exercises in the Baltic states. Our analysis speaks to the fact that the size, tempo, and character of military training events in this region have manifestly changed. In the early 2000s, …
Dark money, US security guarantees and the twisting of allied arms
How can powerful states best extract domestic concessions from their junior allies? What are the conditions under which the powerful state is more likely to succeed in inducing such domestic policy change? This article explores the link between US security commitments and Washington’s ability to attain favourable policy outcomes within the allied domestic arena. It provides an illustrative case of how the USA, using security guarantees as leverag…
Killing Norms Softly: US Targeted Killing, Quasi-secrecy and the Assassination Ban
This article argues that when actors engage in controversial new security practices, it is misconceived to view secrecy as an opposed, counterproductive alternative to the pursuit of legitimation. Rather, we propose, deployment of “quasi-secrecy”—a combination of official secrecy with leaks, selective disclosure, and de facto public awareness—can be an effective strategy for achieving normalization and legitimation while containing the risks enta…
Dangerous allies? Small states and great power entrapment risks
Security alliances are often portrayed as vital tools for advancing US national objectives. Yet alliance networks, critics charge, also carry some undesirable side effects and risks. The so-called problem of moral hazard is one of them. In this context, US Baltic allies have long been spotlighted as prime suspects that may one day rope their superpower patron into an unwanted conflict. With Washington having their backs at all times, the argument…
The Baltic predicament in the shadow of Russia’s war in Ukraine
Geostrategic context: Bridging alliances in the shadow of Sino-American competition
International audience
Neither reckless nor free-riders: Auditing the Baltics as US treaty allies
Is it strategically wise for the USA to stretch its protective umbrella over small nations in Eastern Europe? Prominent critics have faulted US allies for acting recklessly and free-riding on US security guarantees. The evidence presented vis-à-vis the Baltic States, however, challenges these assumptions. This study paints a picture of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as loyalty-obsessed small states that diligently seek to meet their patron’s beha…
Killing Norms Softly: US Targeted Killing, Quasi-secrecy and the Assassination Ban
This article argues that when actors engage in controversial new security practices, it is misconceived to view secrecy as an opposed, counterproductive alternative to the pursuit of legitimation. Rather, we propose, deployment of “quasi-secrecy”—a combination of official secrecy with leaks, selective disclosure, and de facto public awareness—can be an effective strategy for achieving normalization and legitimation while containing the risks enta…
Reclaiming a good ally status: Baltic coping strategies in the America First world
What are the coping strategies of small states at a time when their great power ally questions its security guarantees? Faced with such a scenario, one strand of the literature proposes that small states will seek to establish a reputation of a “good ally” in the eyes of their security patron, thus reducing the likelihood of abandonment. Others, however, maintain that in times of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, small states will attempt to “…
Neither reckless nor free-riders: Auditing the Baltics as US treaty allies
Is it strategically wise for the USA to stretch its protective umbrella over small nations in Eastern Europe? Prominent critics have faulted US allies for acting recklessly and free-riding on US security guarantees. The evidence presented vis-à-vis the Baltic States, however, challenges these assumptions. This study paints a picture of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as loyalty-obsessed small states that diligently seek to meet their patron’s beha…
Uncomfortable neighbors: Nato, Russia and the shifting logic of military exercises in the Baltics
To what ends do allies employ military exercises? In order to further our understanding regarding the logic and utility of military drills, this paper focuses on NATO’s eastern flank. Specifically, with the help of newly compiled data, we tracked two decades of exercises in the Baltic states. Our analysis speaks to the fact that the size, tempo, and character of military training events in this region have manifestly changed. In the early 2000s, …
The Roots and Resilience of Pro-Americanism in the Baltics
Notes1 Kersti Kaljulaid, “Small Democracies in the (Post) Pandemic World: A Perspective from Estonia,” Latvian Institute of International Affairs, March 3, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stjg5aWgzOo.2 Edgars Rinkevics, “Intervija ar arlietu ministru Edgaru Rinkevicu,” Rita Panorama, May 24, 2018, https://ltv.lsm.lv/lv/raksts/24.05.2018-intervija-ar-arlietu-ministru- edgaru-rinkevicu.id131400.3 Mart Kuldkepp, “Baltic liberation first-hand: …
Geostrategic context: Bridging alliances in the shadow of Sino-American competition
International audience
Dark money, US security guarantees and the twisting of allied arms
How can powerful states best extract domestic concessions from their junior allies? What are the conditions under which the powerful state is more likely to succeed in inducing such domestic policy change? This article explores the link between US security commitments and Washington’s ability to attain favourable policy outcomes within the allied domestic arena. It provides an illustrative case of how the USA, using security guarantees as leverag…
The Baltic predicament in the shadow of Russia’s war in Ukraine
The covert ties that bind: US-Baltic intelligence relations
This article seeks to capture a facet of US – Baltic relations that for the most part has played out behind the public curtain. As such, the following chronicles key twists and turns, achievements and failures in American – Baltic intelligence relations. A substantial body of scholarship has already examined cultural, diplomatic, and security ties between these actors. The same cannot be said about intelligence bonds. This article attempts to red…
Canada is a Big Deal Here”: The eFP Battle Group and Host Nation Public Opinion
Does personal contact between allied service members and local citizens result in greater public acceptance of foreign military presence? To what extent do members of the host nation's domestic society assess favorably the forward deployment of allied military personnel on their own national territory? Substantial scholarly literature has probed these types of questions in the context of US globe-spanning military deployments. This study, however…
Dangerous allies? Small states and great power entrapment risks
Security alliances are often portrayed as vital tools for advancing US national objectives. Yet alliance networks, critics charge, also carry some undesirable side effects and risks. The so-called problem of moral hazard is one of them. In this context, US Baltic allies have long been spotlighted as prime suspects that may one day rope their superpower patron into an unwanted conflict. With Washington having their backs at all times, the argument…
Political science (11 works) · Law (7 works) · Computer security (5 works) · Economics (5 works) · European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies (5 works) · History (5 works) · History (5 works) · Law (5 works) · Political economy (5 works) · Computer Science (4 works)