The Latvian Institute of International Affairs
A Latvian nonprofit think tank that researches foreign policy, international security, and regional affairs.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA) is a nonprofit foreign-policy research institute and think tank based in Riga. Established on 20 May 1992, it is widely described as Latvia’s oldest research centre dedicated to international affairs. The institute was created during the early post-Soviet period, when Latvia was rebuilding its state institutions and developing the analytical capacity needed to formulate an independent foreign and security policy. Its first director was Atis Lejiņš, who led the organisation until 2011. Andris Sprūds then served as director until 2022, when Kārlis Bukovskis became director. LIIA’s mission is to provide Latvia’s decision-makers, specialists, and wider public with research, analysis, recommendations, and information about international developments. Although it is a nongovernmental organisation, the institute regularly provides expertise to the Latvian Parliament and other public authorities in Latvia and abroad. Its work combines academic research, policy analysis, public events, international cooperation, and dissemination through books, yearbooks, research papers, commentaries, podcasts, and other publications. The institute’s research portfolio reflects Latvia’s strategic position at the intersection of the Baltic Sea region, the European Union, NATO, and the wider Euro-Atlantic community. Core subjects include Latvian foreign and security policy, transatlantic relations, Baltic and Nordic security, European Union institutions and external relations, the EU’s neighbourhood and Eastern Partnership policies, relations with Russia and China, multilateral diplomacy, and emerging security challenges. LIIA also maintains thematic activity concerning the Indo-Pacific, East and South Asia, the Middle East, Belarus, connectivity, and international governance. The organisation is funded on a project basis rather than through regular government appropriations. Its financing and partnerships have included European Union programmes such as Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and CERV, as well as support connected with the National Endowment for Democracy, Freedom House, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, and EEA and Norway Grants. LIIA also works with Latvian public institutions, European universities, foreign-policy institutes, foundations, diplomatic missions, and international think-tank networks. In addition to research publications, LIIA convenes high-level discussions. Its recurring initiatives include the Riga Dialogue, which addresses Euro-Atlantic security and the future of European and transatlantic cooperation; The EU Conversations, an annual forum launched in 2016 that connects young people, policymakers, and experts; and the Riga Security Forum, established in 2019 and later developed into a series of recorded thematic discussions. The institute also publishes the Latvian Foreign and Security Policy Yearbook, first issued in 2014, which reviews Latvia’s international-policy choices and presents competing assessments and recommendations. LIIA’s research team includes more than 20 researchers and associate researchers, alongside a wider network of Latvian and international experts. The institute has historically employed or collaborated with recognised Latvian specialists including Daina Bleiere, Žaneta Ozoliņa, Toms Rostoks, Valts Kalniņš, Māris Andžāns, Imants Lieģis, and Aldis Austers. Its present role is that of an independent analytical and convening institution supporting informed debate on Latvia’s international position and the broader transformation of European and global security.
History
The Latvian Institute of International Affairs was founded in Riga on 20 May 1992, shortly after Latvia restored its independence and began reconstructing the institutions required for a sovereign foreign policy. Atis Lejiņš was the founding director. The institute initially received several Swedish government grants intended to support research on the security of the Baltic states. This early focus reflected Latvia’s need to understand its new regional security environment and its relationships with neighbouring countries and Western institutions. LIIA developed as an independent, nonprofit research organisation rather than as a ministry or formally governmental body. Its purpose was to produce analysis that could be used by public authorities while also making international-affairs knowledge available to specialists and the general public. The institute has consequently occupied an intermediary position between academic research, policy advice, and public diplomacy. It has cooperated with the Latvian Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic missions, universities, foreign-policy institutes, and international foundations. Lejiņš led the organisation until 2011, when Andris Sprūds became director. During the following period, LIIA expanded its research and international connections, covering Latvia’s place in the European Union and NATO, Baltic and transatlantic security, European neighbourhood policy, relations with Russia, and wider questions of international order. The institute also became associated with a large group of Latvian international-relations specialists, including Daina Bleiere, Žaneta Ozoliņa, Toms Rostoks, Valts Kalniņš, Māris Andžāns, Imants Lieģis, and Aldis Austers. A significant part of LIIA’s output has been organised around recurring publications and public forums. The Latvian Foreign and Security Policy Yearbook began in 2014 and provides annual assessments of Latvia’s foreign and security policy, including analysis of the factors shaping policy and recommendations for future choices. The Asia Research Programme was launched in July 2017 to strengthen Baltic expertise on China, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indo-Pacific. The EU Conversations began in 2016 as a recurring forum on current European Union challenges, bringing together policymakers, researchers, and younger participants across several European countries. The Riga Security Forum was established in 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it developed a format based on recorded thematic panels released through online audio and video channels. Its subject matter has included conventional security issues such as Russia, NATO, and transatlantic relations, as well as climate change, technological developments, gender, and other nontraditional security concerns. In 2022, LIIA established the Belarus Research Network on Neighborhood Policy to connect experts from the Baltic states, Nordic countries, and Belarus and to support discussion concerning democratic Belarus. Andris Sprūds’s directorship ended in 2022, when Kārlis Bukovskis became director. Under its current structure, LIIA operates through several thematic programmes, including European Union, Asia, and Middle East research, while continuing broader work on Latvian foreign policy, regional security, Russia, China, transatlantic relations, and multilateral affairs. The organisation remains primarily project-funded and does not receive regular government funding. Its work is supported through collaborations and competitive projects involving European Union programmes, international foundations, Nordic institutions, and other partners. Today, LIIA combines research, policy advice, conferences, expert networks, and public-facing media. It is one of Latvia’s principal independent institutions for international-affairs analysis and continues to contribute to domestic debate about the country’s strategic choices and to international discussion about Baltic, European, and global security.
- 2022
Belarus Research Network established
[1]LIIA created a regional expert network focused on Belarus and neighbourhood policy.
- 2022
Kārlis Bukovskis became director
[1]Kārlis Bukovskis succeeded Andris Sprūds as director.
- 2019
Riga Security Forum established
[1]LIIA established a high-level discussion series on conventional and emerging security challenges.
- 2017
Asia Research Programme launched
[1]The institute launched a programme focused on Asian domestic and foreign policy, Indo-Pacific affairs, and Latvia’s engagement with the region.
- 2016
The EU Conversations launched
[1]LIIA began its recurring international conference focused on European Union challenges and dialogue among experts, decision-makers, and young people.
- 2014
First Latvian Foreign and Security Policy Yearbook
[1]LIIA published the first edition of its annual review of Latvian foreign and security policy.
- 2011
Change of director
[1]Andris Sprūds succeeded founding director Atis Lejiņš.
- 1992
Institute founded
[1]The Latvian Institute of International Affairs was established in Riga on 20 May 1992, with Atis Lejiņš as its founding director.
Products and positioning
Independent, project-funded foreign-policy and international-security think tank serving Latvian and international decision-makers, experts, and the wider public.
Annual policy publication · 2014
Latvian Foreign and Security Policy Yearbook
An annual collection examining Latvia’s foreign and security policy during the preceding year. It presents multiple expert perspectives, identifies the main influences on policy, considers possible future developments, and offers recommendations concerning Latvia’s role in the international system.
International conference
Riga Dialogue
A recurring high-level forum bringing together policymakers and experts from the European Union, the United States, and neighbouring countries. Its discussions address Euro-Atlantic security, the future of the EU and NATO, relations with Russia, and policy options for a more stable regional security environment.
International conference · 2016
The EU Conversations
An annual conference launched in 2016 to discuss current European Union issues in changing geopolitical circumstances. It connects young people, experts, and decision-makers, with sessions organised or broadcast across several European countries through cooperation with think tanks, universities, and EU institutions.
Security discussion series · 2019
Riga Security Forum
A discussion programme established in 2019 that examines traditional security issues alongside challenges such as climate change, technology, and gender. Its thematic panels are distributed in Latvian and English through recorded video, audio, podcast, and social-media formats.
Research network · 2022
Belarus Research Network on Neighborhood Policy
A network created in 2022 to connect experts from the Baltic states, Nordic countries, and Belarus. It supports research, events, expert networking, and public information concerning Belarus and democratic development, including bimonthly reviews and analytical articles.
Research programme · 2017
Asia Research Programme
A programme launched in 2017 that develops Latvian and Baltic expertise on China, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indo-Pacific. It studies domestic and foreign policy, global governance, and the development of a common European approach to the Indo-Pacific.
Research programme
European Union Programme
A programme providing analysis and expertise on EU policy and institutions through research projects, publications, conferences, and cooperation with European think tanks and universities. Its work includes EU-funded projects, studies for European institutions, and contributions to expert assessments of European Council developments.
Research programme
Middle East Research Programme
A programme focused on the political, economic, and social dynamics of the Middle East. It aims to generate analysis and recommendations relevant to Latvian and international policymakers as part of LIIA’s wider work on global developments and regional security.
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