Latvia

An excerpt from a Tuesday editorial in the Chicago Tribune:THE Latvian people have a long list of legitimate reasons to fear and resent their giant neighbor, Russia. Six decades ago, the Soviet Union invaded and absorbed not only Latvia but also the two other independent Baltic nations, Lithuania and Estonia. What followed was a brutal and relentless campaign by Moscow to destroy Latvian identity, culture and language.But none of that excuses the thuggish behavior of Latvian police last week when they roughly dispersed a crowd of mainly elderly Russians protesting inflation and higher prices.

RIGA, LATVIA -- NATO leaders concluded a two-day summit yesterday by renewing their commitment to help build a stable democracy in Afghanistan and announcing steps toward welcoming up to eight more former Communist states into the alliance. In a surprise move, the leaders invited Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina to join the Partnership for Peace program, a step toward membership that also signals intent to build warmer relations with participants. NATO had previously demanded that Serbia and Bosnia first show greater cooperation in tracking high-profile suspects accused of war crimes in the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

He is only 32, but in a sense Romaulds Vonsovitch embodies the whole complex past, present and future of the Baltic state of Latvia.Mr. Vonsovitch is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Latvia, and in that capacity he is spending several weeks in Baltimore observing the American legal system.When he was first elected as a trial-court judge in the Latvian capital of Riga seven years ago, he was a dutiful member of the Communist Party. That was, after all, the first requirement of election, and in 1984, with Stalin's shadow still looming large over his country, there was no reason to believe that Latvia would be anything other than an unwilling Soviet republic.

Nearly three weeks after a Baltimore County man running for the U.S. Senate was charged with raping his wife, county prosecutors dropped all charges yesterday against David B. Dickerson, saying that there was "insufficient evidence" to proceed with the case. Dickerson's wife, meanwhile, was arrested this week in Virginia and charged with trespassing after being accused of kicking in the door of her husband's parents' house in an effort to see him, according to Virginia authorities and Dickerson's lawyer.

RIGA, Latvia -- The Russian army, which swept over the Baltics with the roar of tanks 54 years ago, left quietly yesterday, rumbling out of Latvia on a woebegone train that carried the tattered remains of fallen empire.For the Baltic nations, a long foreign occupation had finally ended. The day was historic, but oddly empty of jubilation. For most Latvians, Estonians and Lithuanians, the occupation was so painful that relief held sway over joy as it ended.In Germany yesterday, the departing Russian troops managed to march off with verve and honor.

In April 1998, Douglas Poore went to Latvia to visit Baiba Paskevica.The two had "met" in February 1997 in an online chat room. Baiba, a Latvian, was a college exchange student in Finland and Douglas was earning his marketing degree at Towson University.With a curiosity about their different cultures as well as their university experiences, Douglas and Baiba began e-mailing each other and soon began a friendship. At the time, both were dating other people and found it nice, they say, to have a "listening post" who was a member of the opposite sex.More than a year later, when their respective relationships had ended, Douglas and Baiba began discussing meeting in person -- still only as friends, they're both quick to point out. That's how they ended up at the airport in the Latvian capital of Riga one bright April day.Though they didn't expect to fall in love, the couple say they couldn't help themselves.

A Westminster pastor traveled to a country once steeped in atheism and found a people hungry for the Gospel.The Rev. J. Lawrence Steen of Westminster Baptist Church was one of 14 pastors and laymen of the Baptist Convention of Maryland and Delaware who undertook a "preaching mission" to Latvia, a Northern European country of about 2.7 million people on the Baltic Sea."The country only became free of Russia a few years ago and there are still Soviet troops," he said. "There is a resurgence of Christianity and a strong desire in the whole country to look into spiritual things."

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA -- The turrets, the ancient city gates and the cobblestoned streets -- these are the fairy-tale images of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, known collectively as the Baltic States. Since gaining independence in 1991, these northeastern European neighbors, occupied by the Germans during World War II and later forcibly annexed to the Soviet Union, have been bidding to become big-time travel destinations. The capitals -- Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia) and Vilnius (Lithuania)

RIGA, Latvia -- On Nov. 21, 1998, Galina Starovoitova and an aide climbed the darkened stairwell of her St. Petersburg apartment house, where two killers carrying three guns awaited their chance to silence one of Russia's foremost democrats. Starovoitova, a member of parliament, was shot dead. The aide, Ruslan Linkov, was gravely wounded but survived. Two guns were dropped on the stairs. The third was not found. The killing was shocking and troubling. Starovoitova was one of the few democrats whose reputation was unblemished, a proud and courageous woman who believed in a quixotic fight for justice.

Riga, Latvia.-- There is an external problem and an internal one in Latvia. The first is proximity to Russia, with a feeble history of independence from Russia. The second is Latvia's minority Russian population, which native Latvians are reluctant to assimilate and whose political interests are supported by Moscow.The Latvians resist the minority because of their justified grievances against Russia, which invaded and annexed Latvia in 1940 as a consequence of the 1939 Ribbentrop-Molotov agreement.

A Baltimore County man running for the U.S. Senate has been charged with raping his wife, a recent immigrant from Latvia. David Brian Dickerson, 43, of Sparks is accused of assaulting her July 17 in their apartment, court records show. Dickerson, a candidate in the Democratic primary for the Senate, was arrested Saturday and charged with second-degree rape, a fourth-degree sex offense, and second-degree assault, according to Baltimore County police and court records. Through his lawyer, Dickerson denied the allegations.

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA -- The turrets, the ancient city gates and the cobblestoned streets -- these are the fairy-tale images of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, known collectively as the Baltic States. Since gaining independence in 1991, these northeastern European neighbors, occupied by the Germans during World War II and later forcibly annexed to the Soviet Union, have been bidding to become big-time travel destinations. The capitals -- Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia) and Vilnius (Lithuania)

TURIN, Italy -- Just as the U.S. men's hockey team hit the figurative wall of fatigue yesterday, Latvian goaltender Arturs Irbe began to play, as he said during his prime with the NHL's San Jose and Carolina teams, "like wall." Irbe made 39 saves and Mighty Ducks defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh had two assists in his first game since being released from a substance-abuse program as Latvia, which has only two current NHL players, pressured a hurriedly assembled U.S. team on the first day of the tournament.

WASHINGTON - When Presidents Bush and Vladimir V. Putin meet Sunday in Moscow, they will have a lot to commiserate about. Bush and the Russian president are confronting several common challenges, such as fighting terrorism and curbing weapons proliferation. But the two leaders face more immediate - and in some ways more troubling - problems closer to home. Both have seen their popularity slip domestically. As Bush draws fire for his plans to cut future Social Security benefits, Putin has provoked street protests among pensioners with his changes to welfare.

MONDAY The National Academy of Sciences will hold its 142nd annual meeting through Tuesday in Washington. One major symposium will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the year in which Einstein published a series of papers that shook the foundations of modern science. In one of these papers, Einstein proved that atoms exist. And he introduced his theory of special relativity, which has forever changed our concepts of space and time. The five speakers will focus primarily on the fact that Einstein's ideas still pervade the most advanced areas of research in modern physics.

SALT LAKE CITY - These are great games, by jingo. Foreign editorialists and members of the International Olympic Committee spent the weeks leading up to the Winter Games complaining about the red, white and blue nightmare they'd be forced to live with for two weeks. The Ottawa Citizen said: "Before the first puck has dropped, the first luger launched on an icy track, there are signs that America has learned little from 1996 in Atlanta. ... There is every chance the land of the free and home of the brave etc., plans to turn the 2002 Olympics into a daily dose of jingoism that will make Atlanta seem like a high school pep rally."

The Russian military evacuation of Germany, Estonia and Latvia, plus the British-French-American evacuation of West .Berlin, mark the end -- finally -- of the World War II occupation.The Soviets occupied Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (which it evacuated last year) in 1940 partly to prepare for war with Germany. Soviet forces began the occupation of Germany, while conquering her along with the Western Allies, in 1945.The Cold War held these forces in place long after their original mission had ended.

WASHINGTON -- "Diplomacy is not that different from public relations," Latvia's ambassador to the United States observes with a smile, "except you get more respect."He should know. Ten years ago, Ojars Kalnins was a budding Chicago adman, pushing auto parts and industrial sump pumps. Tomorrow, he'll be among the dignitaries welcoming President Clinton to Riga, Latvia's capital, as Mr. Clinton becomes the first American president to visit the Baltic states.Ambassador Kalnins' overnight transformation from American PR man to foreign diplomat is a reflection of the enormous changes taking place in the republics of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, which broke away from the disintegrating Soviet Union and declared their independence in 1991.

OCEAN CITY - People are talking about Ocean City, on the streets of Moscow, at the university in Prague and in college circles in Riga, Latvia. Maryland's 10-mile-long barrier island has earned a reputation as a great place to meet people from other lands, make money and practice English. With a tight labor market and nearly 4 million visitors expected this season, many of the seaside resort's hotels and restaurants have turned to thousands of enthusiastic, hard-working, foreign students for jobs that otherwise might go begging.

TALLINN, Estonia - It takes just 18 minutes to get here by helicopter from Helsinki, Finland. But only a fool would take a cramped helicopter, say visiting Finns. They pack a fleet of car ferries, stream here by the thousands every day, and have turned the visa-free, 90-minute crossings into an increasingly essential part of their household economies. "How often do I come here? I think about making the trip every time I need a haircut," said Lauri Aalto, a retired teacher. "The cost difference alone pays for the ferry."