It’s a great pleasure to be with you tonight, and to have had an opportunity to chat with many of you during the opening reception and registration period. Some of you are familiar to me already from the annual receptions that I’ve hosted in my home to honor my government’s Fulbright, Muskie and Humphrey Fellows. Others of you are special to me as new acquaintances, including several who have just returned from study experiences in the United States. All of you have brought back a personal understanding of America from your studies in my country, as well as a treasure of your own adventure stories, insights, and new perceptions of the United States to share on evenings such as this one.

I am especially gratified today to see you coming together as an association, and believe that beyond sharing common experiences, you can accomplish great things together—from helping other scholars to learn about American universities and exchange fellowships, to serving on our fellowship selection panels, to organizing and hosting lectures and performances—and even, perhaps, to developing fellowships and awards of your own for enhancing U.S.-Latvian educational ties. While alumni associations in other European countries are already active in such contributions to international understanding, there is no reason why Latvian alumni can’t do just as well—or even better—once they set their course. I congratulate you, Mr. Skudra (president of the alumni association), and your current board of directors, for bringing this talented membership together tonight, and wish the association great success in the elections for the coming year’s board later in this meeting.

Some of you may know that this evening has special meaning to me for one more reason, as well: my tour of duty in Latvia is approaching its final days, and what I say to you tonight will be the last public speech that I deliver as your U.S. ambassador.

In my three years here, I have seen—and have contributed all my own best efforts, every day, to assisting—tremendous progress by Latvia in returning to its rightful place in Europe. Economically, politically, and socially, your country belongs in the West, and in many ways has already returned to the West.

No one who knows Latvia uses the label "post-Soviet" any longer, even though only 10 years have passed since the fall of the Soviet Union. Indeed, Latvia and its two Baltic neighbors are all too rare success stories emerging from the former Soviet Union. I take great satisfaction in noting that during my tenure in Latvia your country traveled most of the final distance in development to reach the very doorsteps of both NATO and the European Union. That impressive progress was the result of the Latvian government’s hard work, and its courage in making—and following through on—the right decisions. All along the way you have had clear, energetic support from the U.S. Embassy. You can count on us to continue backing you as you make the final steps through those doorways to attain EU and NATO membership, and you can be confident that we will remain your friends and allies on into the future.

"Developing nation" is another label that Latvia is rapidly shedding. In fact, it is only now that my own mission has stopped treating you as one: the fundamental development aid that the United States brought to Latvia through U.S. Agency for International Development and the Peace Corps helped you in your first years of independence to build the basic infrastructure for a free market economy and the rebirth of a business culture. But the "heavy lifting" that those agencies provided then has accomplished its goals: at present, while a few regional assistance programs continue to address specific needs remaining in Latvia, my mission’s USAID office celebrated its closing two years ago, and our Baltic Regional Peace Corps Office will close out its operations in the coming year. Here too, they represent a rarity in the assitance business: they close because of success in achieving their objectives, not because of failure.

Latvia has developed past the need for such basic assistance. The speed with which this maturation took place has been dramatic, and promises further surprises in the near future. In fact, I expect that the next step, now that you’ve become a developed country, will be to become providers of expertise yourselves to neighbors still tagged with the "post-Soviet" and "developing" designations. And some of those Latvian foreign aid projects might well include joint efforts with my own country’s international development agency.

Graduation from fundamental development aid hasn’t meant the end of U.S. support for Latvia. We will continue to support regional programs in environmental reclamation, energy efficiency, public health, social integration and rule of law. But beyond that, American university education, specialized seminars, and workshops for professionals have replaced the direct infrastructure funding and fundamental skills training of previous years. During my tenure in Rīga, my Embassy staff has steadily grown, and the fastest growth has been in programs that offer education and professional expertise.

Our new U.S. Customs Service office offers training and exchange visits for Latvian law enforcement and Border Guards officials. A team of U.S. Justice Department experts will be making regular visits this coming year to assist in the development of your Anti-Corruption Council and in the reform of the criminal procedures code. Our Office of Defense Cooperation now brings in trainers for addressing needs identified by your armed forces, everything from development of a chaplain corps to improving the skills of military public affairs officers. Early this fall a team of American military justice experts will visit to offer their expertise.

Our resident offices of the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture offer fellowships and exchange visits to acquaint Latvian business and government leaders with the latest ideas and trends in American business and farming. Our Public Affairs Section has gained multi-year grants to fund affiliations between American universities and Latvian institutions including the University of Latvia School of Law, the NGO Center, and the Latvian School of Public Administration. And to compensate for Latvia’s recent graduation from eligibility for further Muskie Fellowships, we have gained funding for additional Fulbright Fellowships, and have even added a new exchange program, the Humphrey Fellowships, for public officials.

And, together with Soros Fund, Latvia, the U.S. government has championed the cause of non-governmental organizations through a 10-year, multi-million dollar support program designed to build, educate and sustain Latvian NGOs. The Baltic-American Partnership Foundation is unique in this regard in Europe and will make NGOs a vibrant part of the Latvian political process well into the future.

This emphasis on education and sharing expertise will characterize the next step in U.S. assistance to Latvia, and in this matter all of you here tonight can play an important role. The knowledge that you acquired from your studies in the United States, and the broader perspectives and outlook that you gained from studying abroad, are already empowering each of you professionally, and contributing to the overall development of your country’s talent and leadership. The understanding that you gained of the United States—and the impressions that Americans gained of Latvia from you—will ensure the continued closeness and mutual high regard that have always characterized our countries’ bilateral relationship. And, there is much more that you can contribute together, as an alumni association.

I hope that this association will be energetic, innovative, and open to all who wish to join, including Americans residing in Latvia. If my wife, Connie, and I were here longer, we would both be applying for membership tonight.

Finally, I hope that your association will also be motivated by service to Latvia, and to the continuation of close U.S.-Latvian relations.

I will follow your progress from my next postings, and look forward to hearing of your accomplishments and growth. You are entering a very bright period of Latvia’s history, with wonderful, realizable prospects ahead of you—a full return to your country’s rightful place in the West, peace and stability in the Baltic region, an economy and talented workforce competitive with the best in the world, and friendly relations with neighbors to the East. Your country is, as we say in the United States, "on a roll"—enjoying a period of success that leads to more success—and the only serious obstacle to guard against is complacency. Maintain your steady progress. Stay focused on your goals. Find ways to serve your country in reaching those goals. And above all, have confidence in yourselves, and in each other. As I have witnessed repeatedly during my three years of service in your country, Latvians excel at setting ambitious goals for themselves—from rebuilding their military and rebuilding their economy, to organizing the world’s largest city-wide birthday party—and then finding ways—not always the most direct ways—to fulfill them.

Good luck to you all, and God bless Latvia.

At a stroke, Finland got three good neighbours 10 years ago. For the second time in the 20th century, Russia was so weak that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were able to break free. The first occasion was in 1918.

Good, harmless neighbours all three—even if they do give us a bit of a headache with their calls for NATO membership.

The mantra in the Baltic Rim is simple: "Get us all into NATO this minute."

During the Soviet era people got used to repeating different kinds of slogans and hoped that things would all work out for the best. Now it is the turn of others.

The European Union does not enjoy such unreserved support. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are all among the most EU-critical of the current crop of applicants. Populaces disgruntled with their governments like to tease their elected leaders by saying "no" to Brussels in opinion polls.

The Latvian nightmare is that Estonia will get into the EU in the first round and that Lithuania will join NATO. Would that leave the Latvians in a grey no-man’s land?

It is hardly likely that the West will abandon any one of these three.

The protective arm of Uncle Sam has come down over the Baltics; the region already seems to belong to the United States’ sphere of influence. One also gets this impression from the pressure that Washington exerted to get Estonia to privatise its power stations and Lithuania to open up its oil sector to American companies.

The paw of the Russian bear has not shifted an inch, either. In the view of many Russians, the Baltic Rim is still their backyard. If Russia closes the oil valves, the region’s economy will take a big hit.

We live in interesting times.

You have to admire the road the Baltic republics have taken. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania carried through a unique revolution that was characterised by songs and by hands held together in a human chain rather than by automatic weapons and clenched fists.

The break-up of the Soviet Union began with the Baltics.

Finns find it pretty hard to step up and advise or criticise the Baltic trio. After all is said and done, these peoples managed to come through three successive occupations that would sap anyone’s strength and resolve—the Soviets, the Nazis, and then once again the Soviets in the post-war period.

They kept their cool and they liberated themselves peacefully. They are stable and progressive countries.

And another thing is worth remembering—if Finland had relatively as many Russians in its population as Latvia has, then there would be 2.2 million of them living here.

The three countries have earned and enjoyed one hell of a celebration in becoming independent once more. But now the hangover has come along.

According to one survey, only 33 percent of Latvians believe that their country has developed along the right lines since 1991.

The Balts have had to face numerous disappointments. The standard of living did not automatically bob upwards like a fishing float—in fact it went down; the West did not ride in and sweep the countries into its open arms; the Russian minorities didn’t move out en masse…

The researchers have come up with some alarming figures. In all three countries, the public’s approval ratings for political parties, parliament, the government, the judicial system, the police, the army, the customs authorities and the inland revenue services are perilously low.

And no wonder: many "humble servants of the people" get drunk with power and treat a career in politics or public service as a ticket to personal enhancement and wealth.

Increasingly the press is coming under the public hammer, too. Again it is hardly any surprise, considering that many journalists are prepared to sell themselves and their morals to the highest bidder.

An outsider looking in is forced to question how a democratic society can function where the lack of faith in state institutions is so deeply rooted.

If one goes back to Finland in 1927, a decade on from Independence and the Civil War, the disappointment and the crisis of confidence was still not as deep as this, in spite of all the traumas of those early years.

The Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus declared not long ago that enterprises spent an excessive amount of their time wrestling with government bureaucrats and that they used one-third of their profits on bribes and backhanders.

The recently dismissed prime minister said that the Lithuanian economy had been brought to its knees in a decade: there will be more bankruptcies to come, the pile of unpaid wages will grow, unemployment is on the increase, and state support grants have been tossed into a bottomless well.

And yet even against this background it is easy to believe in a positive development in the Baltic countries. Independence has meant an intellectual liberation, freeing energy and creativity. These countries have a cultural kick, they have potential and they have a creditable level of civilisation, for all that many of the nouveau riche are boorish and brash.

The Baltic Rim countries enjoy access to an educated and hard-working labour force. They have an optimism, a belief in the future and a healthy patriotism. Traditions are held in high esteem, the family (nuclear and extended) is a tight unit, and human relations are regarded as important.

It may be of course that I move in the wrong circles, but I do not know of any citizens who are hankering to up anchor and move abroad as emigrants. One might naturally ask whether that is patriotism in action or merely a shortage of daring and initiative.

One cannot overstate the differences between the three peoples whom we tend to lump under the one Balt heading. They actually know relatively little about one another, and they are rivals rather than regional partners.

Governments in Latvia and Lithuania are fleeting affairs, and in both these countries it looks at present as if the people are prepared to experiment with a cautious leftist alternative.

Estonia’s politics are equally factious, but the governments are built to last rather better. It is hard to imagine that any groundswell of left-wing politics could take hold for at least a generation to come.

In all three countries the population is dwindling, particularly in Estonia and Latvia. It will probably be necessary in the not-too-distant future for them to take in immigrants, however impossible or repugnant the idea might seem right now.

In the final analysis, these are also poor countries when compared with the fifteen members of the EU.

A little bit of history: in the mid-17th century the rich and proud Kurland (Kurzeme in Latvian) occupied around 26,000 square kilometres of what is now western Latvia, on the Gulf of Rīga.

Not content with this, the duke who governed the place acquired a couple of colonies—Gambia in West Africa and Tobago in the West Indies. Now Latvia finds itself one place below Trinidad and Tobago in the latest United Nations Human Development Index.

I attended a funeral this summer in a small, idyllic Latvian town. During the ceremony, two guests who had been careless were embarrassed by their mobile phones ringing.

In some sense, then, I suppose the Baltic countries are catching up with the Finns, even though economists have estimated that it will be fully 30 years before they reach Finland’s present level of development.

(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in Helsingin Sanomat and is republished here with the permission of the newspaper and the author.)