The Baltic states exist. Why say it, if you believe it? No one says Sweden exists: it goes without saying. For the Baltic states, it has to be said, because their reemergence from the totalitarian grip of Soviet colonialism has been very recent. They were submerged to the point where their continued existence was not manifest. Our perception of the world always suffers some time lag, and the reestablishment of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia has not yet sunk in - the more so, since the Soviet occupation forces still interfere. It will be a long time before the Baltic states will feel free and prosperous. But they exist. So they exist. Who cares? You do, if you are still with me. It may be a casual scanning for business investment or new travel horizons or curiosity about what appears to be a resurrection, or annoyance with it, for whatever reason. Or the feeling that this is a place where you could pitch in and make a visible difference, precisely because the place is rather small and run down by the Soviet occupation. But it is a mess the Baltic people can sort out, when finally allowed to do so. (The Baltic Bridge, fragment)