WASHINGTON, DC (JBANC) — On the eve of “Super Tuesday” on February 5, the Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC) has sent a questionnaire to eight Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, asking each for their positions on key issues and concerns for the Baltic-American community.

Questionnaires were sent to Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama; and Republicans Rudolph Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul, and Mitt Romney.

The questions posed to the candidates:

• What policy would you follow in U.S. relations with Russia given Russia’s increasing Soviet-style isolationism, anti-Western propaganda, and anti-democratic actions such as restrictions on a free media and return to a “one-party system”? How will you act to stem Russia's intimidation of neighboring countries, such as the Baltics, through boycotts, oil supply manipulation, cyber attacks, disinformation, and other means?
• Given the increasingly bold use of energy supply manipulation by Russia as a coercive measure to divide Europe and weaken NATO, what do you think U.S. policy should be to address this problem?
• Do you support NATO enlargement?
• Do you support expanding trade with and increasing investment in the Baltics? If so, what measures would you propose?
• How would you improve U.S. public diplomacy in the Baltic countries? Would you favor more exchanges and people-to-people contacts? If so, how would you deal with the problems of obtaining visas and the implementation of visa-free travel from the Baltic countries to the United States?

JBANC will publish the candidate positions and replies once they become available.

Questionnaires have traditionally been sent by JBANC during every presidential cycle.

(JBANC represents the Estonian American National Council, Inc., the American Latvian Association, Inc. and the Lithuanian American Council, Inc.)

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