From Policy to Practice: Building Individual and Societal Resilience in Times of Crisis. The Case of the Baltic States

Join us for a roundtable discussion featuring Ieva Birka (University of Latvia), Gabrielius Landsbergis (CISAC), and Indrek Sarap (CISAC):

From Policy to Practice: Building Individual and Societal Resilience in Times of Crisis. The Case of the Baltic States

Recent research on individual crisis preparedness in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, but also in Finland and Germany, reveals a persistent gap between policy expectations and actual readiness. Despite clear national guidance on civil defence, the European Union Preparedness Union Strategy, and NATO’s Article 3 obligations, most urban residents lack basic resources and knowledge of emergency procedures. This disconnect reflects psychological, cultural, and structural barriers that current strategies fail to address.
The Baltic region faces a multifaceted risk landscape, marked by geopolitical instability that gives rise to a range of threats, including hybrid threats, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and the direct threat of war, as well as climate-related disasters. Governments increasingly emphasize individual responsibility within comprehensive defence frameworks, yet the assumption that citizens will autonomously prepare if given information is proving unrealistic. Closing this gap is critical for whole-of-society resilience and regional security.
This roundtable will bring together scholars and practicioners from three Baltic countries to explore why the Baltic region’s citizens remain underprepared for crises despite clear policy guidance. The panel will also identify actionable strategies across political, military, and societal dimensions to close this gap.

Ieva Birka is a Senior Researcher at the University of Latvia, Faculty of Economics and Political Science and Advanced Social and Political Research Institute. She currently leads three research projects focused on the dynamics of government-citizen cooperation in crisis preparedness and response. She is the author and coauthor of several publications focusing on issues of migration, social integration, feelings of belonging, dual citizenship, and diaspora diplomacy.

Gabrielius Landsbergis served as minister of foreign affairs of Lithuania from 2020 to 2024, a pivotal period for the region. During his tenure, Lithuania emerged as one of the most vocal supporters of Ukraine, Taiwan, and freedom fighters worldwide. Before that, he served in the Parliament of Lithuania from 2016, was chairman of the Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives), and was elected to the European Parliament in 2014. Prior to entering politics, Gabrielius Landsbergis was a career diplomat.

Indrek Sarap is a Researcher at the Estonian Military Academy and a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC). He has served in various command and staff positions in the Estonian Defence Forces, as well as been deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 and Mali 2013-2014. While working at the Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces, he has participated in advance planning for a crisis in the Baltic Sea Region nationally and multinationally as part of the Baltic Combined Joint Staff Element.

This in-person event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

This event is part of Global Conversations, a series of talks, lectures, and seminars hosted by Stanford University Libraries and Vabamu with the goal of educating scholars, students, leaders, and the public on the benefits of but also challenges related to sustaining freedom.