Protege or go-between? The role of the Baltic states after 9/11 in EU-US relations

Since 9/11, Washington has viewed the new Europe as a protege of the United States, whose role is to repair the political bridge across the Atlantic. Whereas the lure of the United States has started to weaken in Central European countries, the Baltic states have remained the most trustful new Europeans from Washington's point of view. Nonetheless, the Balts have not felt comfortable with the new European label. They have seemingly begun to define themselves as something special and have aspired to a voice of their own. Instead of being merely proteges of the United States, the Balts are transforming themselves into intermediaries between Brussels and Washington.