https://tube.home.franssen.xyz/videos/watch/caeac838-4b76-48ec-b45f-566aba47f0f0 Welcome to the NATO Through Time podcast! This podcast dives deep into NATO’s history, reflecting on how the past influences the present – and future – of the longest-lasting alliance in history. Why did the Baltic States and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe choose to join NATO after the end of the Cold War? Why was the 2004 enlargement of NATO known as the "Big Bang" enlargement? How do NATO’s smaller member countries contribute to the Alliance? In this episode, former President of Latvia Dr Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga shares her extraordinary life story – from fleeing Latvia as a child at the end of the Second World War, to building a life in Canada for 50 years, to becoming President of Latvia after the country re-established its independence in 1991. Dr Vīķe-Freiberga reflects on her personal experiences, her country’s journey to becoming a NATO member in 2004 (alongside Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia), and on the future of NATO. Host: Jamie Shea Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:00 1944 - Fleeing Latvia as a child during WWII 9:35 1954-1998 - Life as a Latvian in exile in Canada 17:06 1989 - The end of the Cold War 18:48 1998 - Returning to a free Latvia 20:56 1999 - Becoming President of Latvia 23:28 Why was it important for Latvia to join NATO? 24:58 Did the Latvian public support NATO membership? 26:01 What do smaller countries contribute to NATO? 32:19 The importance of defending NATO's eastern flank 34:34 How do you see the future of the Alliance? 35:44 Goodbye and reflections ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ SUBSCRIBE to this channel https://bit.ly/NATOsubscribe SUBSCRIBE to NATO News https://bit.ly/NATONewsSubscribe SUBSCRIBE to NATO History https://bit.ly/NATOHistorySubscribe Connect with NATO online: Visit the Official NATO Homepage: https://bit.ly/NATOhomepage Receive NATO updates via email: https://bit.ly/NATOemails Find NATO on FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/NATOfacebook Follow @NATO on TWITTER: https://bit.ly/NATOtwitter Follow NATO on Instagram: https://bit.ly/NATOinstagram Find NATO on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/NATOlinkedin Find NATO on Flickr: https://bit.ly/NATOflickr #NATO #OTAN #WeAreNATO Tue, 09 Jun 2026 08:01:01 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://tube.home.franssen.xyz https://tube.home.franssen.xyz/client/assets/images/icons/icon-1500x1500.png https://tube.home.franssen.xyz/videos/watch/caeac838-4b76-48ec-b45f-566aba47f0f0 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://tube.home.franssen.xyz/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.