Lithuania Transforms the West

Dr Darius Furmonavicius studied International Relations, History, and Law in Nottingham and Bradford. He is Director of the Lithuanian Research & Studies Centre in Nottingham, and an associate member of Chatham House. Previously, Furmonavicius was a Bernadotte Schmidt Fellow of the American Historical Association. Furmonavicius is the author of Lithuania Rejoins Europe (LRC 2015). His papers have appeared in, among others, Lituanus, International Affairs, Draugas, Lietuvos Aidas, Europos Lietuvis, and Britanijos Lietuvis.

Andreas Umland, M.Phil. (Oxford), Dr.Phil. (FU Berlin), Ph.D. (Cambridge), Research Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs in Stockholm, Senior Expert at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future in Kyiv, and Associate Professor at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Prof Dr h. c. mult. Vytautas Landsbergis was Head of the Lithuanian Liberation Movement, President of Lithuania’s Supreme Council in 1990–92 and 1996–2000, as well as Member of the European Parliament in 2004–14.

"Darius Furmonavicius' book offers an extremely useful and essentially pioneering interpretation of Lithuania's recovery of its national being and the enormous progress this small country has made in just over a decade since the nation regained its freedom". -Anthony Packer (1940-2014), former Honorary Counsellor of Lithuania in Cardiff, UK

“Darius Furmonavicius' book offers an extremely useful and essentially pioneering interpretation of Lithuania's recovery of its national being and the enormous progress this small country has made in just over a decade since the nation regained its freedom”. —Anthony Packer (1940-2014), former Honorary Counsellor of Lithuania in Cardiff, UK

“The collapse of the Soviet Union, with Lithuania playing a major role, was one of the redeeming events of the twentieth century, comparable to the defeat of Nazi Germany. Darius Furmonavicius  provides a broad outline of Lithuanian history, with special attention to the period between March 11, 1990, when Lithuania proclaimed independence, and January 13, 1991, when the Soviet coup in Vilnius failed. A dangerous period because one incident, one wrong word, in Vilnius, or Washington, could have resulted in a bloodbath. For this period, Dr Darius Furmonavicius cites many sources, many of them difficult to find. He provides a very useful bibliography for students of this period.” —Ignas K. Skrupskelis, Professor of Philosophy, University of South Carolina

"In this detailed study of how newly liberated Lithuania strove to integrate itself into European and Transatlantic security structures, Darius Furmonavicius reveals the enduring importance of this strategic region, strikingly relevant to our own unsettled times.” —Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, Professor of History, University of Tennessee

“In his book, Darius Furmonavicius reminds us of the crucial role played by Lithuania in liberating itself from Soviet occupation and hastening the end of the Soviet Union. In describing Lithuania’s subsequent integration into the European and Transatlantic Security Framework, he also highlights the strategic importance of the Baltic States for European security and stability. Darius Furmonavicius uses unique sources, including documents from the private collection of US Secretary of State James Baker, interviews with President Vytautas Landsbergis and Foreign Ministers of Lithuania Juozas Urbšys and Algirdas Saudargas.” —Patrick Salmon, Chief Historian, Foreign & Commonwealth Development Office, UK