The View of Russia from the Baltics
About the author: Naomi Breuer ’28 is a Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies Global Policy Intern at the International Centre for Defence and Security. Naomi is studying Economics at Stanford University.
I just wrapped up an internship at the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) in Tallinn, Estonia. I am very grateful for this memorable experience, as I learned so much about current security issues pertaining to Europe and the Baltics.
One of my most important realizations was that, for these countries, Russia is a very imminent threat and a very real security issue. In Estonia, the war in Ukraine is being discussed on a daily basis, whereas in the U.S. many seem to have forgotten about it or don’t realize the stakes of the war. I also had the opportunity to meet several Ukrainians both at ICDS and around Tallinn, where they told me real stories about how their lives had changed. One person I talked to couldn’t go back without being drafted to the war, but his whole family remained in Kiev. Another person I talked to had a very unique experience, given she is Crimean Tatar.
My first assignment was to collect data on Russian hybrid attacks in Germany since the full scale invasion of Ukraine. I found an overwhelming amount of information and ended up writing a full-length analysis rather than the initial brief I was to pursue. The sheer amount of time I spent on this project made me feel like I was really becoming an expert on the topic. Before ICDS, I only had a faint idea of what hybrid warfare was, but now my work has sparked a genuine interest in the topic. I am keen to keep learning about the issue and start thinking about how one could combat the Russian hybrid aggression. The final analysis has now been published, and it was very rewarding to see the final, professional version.
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I was given a lot of flexibility to research topics that interested me throughout my internship. I had just come from a trip to China, so I was curious to research how Germany-China relations were affected by China’s support to Russia’s war effort against Ukraine. I found this topic to be very interesting, as it encompassed economic and security issues, as well as complex international dynamics.
Another project I worked on was editing a paper on the repatriation of Ukrainian refugees from Estonia. It was interesting to read about this issue that politicians are starting to think about, especially since the war is still ongoing. It was also interesting to learn about what the editing process looks like behind the scenes at a think tank, which helped me when I was writing my own papers. I also helped my mentor collect data for a policy recommendation ICDS is planning to write for the EU on the subject of designating Russia as a sponsor of terrorism, which would then allow for certain sanctions to be instated. This work felt very meaningful, as it felt like I got to be a part of a policy advocacy project that has the potential to be very relevant and impactful. I also learned a lot about the workings of the EU and their processes as I dug through their archives.
I am now wrapping up a piece about the recent success of the AfD in Germany and what this means for the EU and the war in Ukraine. I have been working closely with an expert on Germany at ICDS and it has been an invaluable experience to learn through collaboration. I am also writing a commentary with my thoughts and suggestions on hybrid warfare in Germany, which has been difficult, given I am not a policy expert, but is pushing me to learn how to formulate my own opinions based on evidence.
ICDS has given me the opportunity to research many interesting topics and understand what it means to work at a think tank. I am very grateful that I was able to learn from a non-American perspective and research topics that aren’t given much attention in the U.S. I have come to understand the very real European security threat and my worldview has been significantly expanded. I am eager to continue pursuing work on European security and hopefully return to Europe soon to do so.
