The Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies is pleased to announce that Andris Banka has been awarded the 2026 AABS Book Prize for his monograph America, the Baltic States and the Making of an Unlikely Security Alliance.
The biennial prize of $1,000 is awarded to an outstanding English-language scholarly book in Baltic Studies (humanities and social sciences). The 2026 award covers books published in 2024 and 2025.
The 2026 Book Prize Committee selected the awardee from a pool of books that were nominated by the publishers, authors, or their colleagues. The Committee noted the high level of all nominated books and thanks everyone who submitted a nomination.
Dr. Andris Banka is a senior researcher at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Baltic Sea Region Research (IFZO) at the University of Greifswald in Germany. He specializes in Baltic security and transatlantic relations. Andris’ scholarly work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals such as Security Studies, The Washington Quarterly, European Journal of International Security, International Politics, Journal of Transatlantic Studies, and The RUSI Journal, among others. His policy insights frequently appear in leading platforms, including War on the Rocks and The Modern War Institute at West Point. He holds a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of Birmingham, UK, and has taught courses in international relations and politics in Germany, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
Book Abstract
The book “America, the Baltic States and the Making of an Unlikely Security Alliance” traces the uncertain beginnings of the US-Baltic partnership, illuminating how the United States, rather than Europe, became the key underwriter of Baltic security. The manuscript captures the many contradictions, setbacks, and disappointments that had to be overcome on both sides of the Atlantic for these ties to mature into a formal treaty alliance. Drawing on extensive archival material and interviews with key senior officials, the book’s chapters illuminate Washington’s role in Baltic independence, Russian troop withdrawal in the early 1990s, and the Baltic road to NATO. Turning to current affairs, the material scrutinizes the United States’ force posture on NATO’s eastern flank alongside the enduring question of alliance abandonment.
The book harnesses theoretical insights from alliance literature. It interrogates US-Baltic security relations by drawing on well-developed alliance concepts such as bargaining, free riding, abandonment, and status seeking. In doing so, the manuscript aims to make a broader contribution to our understanding of security alliances between great powers and small states, highlighting their inherent costs, risks, and benefits.