ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses that the threat images presented by the respective Estonian and Russian governments after the cold War era, with particular emphasis on the first years of the new Millennium. It investigates and compares how different theoretical approaches attempt to provide viable explanations for the way in which threats are presented within Estonian and Russian political discourses, placing particular emphasis on the formations of identities which are, in turn, linked to processes of socialization. The chapter demonstrates how the theoretical approach can present an alternative explanation to more traditional approaches in international relations literature, particularly regarding the transformation of threat images among Estonian and Russian policy-makers. In their roles as midget and giant of the Baltic Sea Region, Estonia and Russia certainly differ on a number of factors such as population, territorial area and resources. The explanatory power of international socialization might become even stronger when considering the structural and situational factors that condition this causal mechanism.
