Opinion

Tatiana Akopova, a social media marketing specialist, who moved to Estonia from Russia, has been reading Estonian folk tales and now shares what she thinks they could tell us about contemporary Estonia. Ah, the rich tapestry of Estonian folklore: where cunning peasants, Finnish sages and conniving crayfish share the stage in teaching us about life’s […]

Liisa Rohumaa, a half-Estonian, half-English journalist who lives in Tallinn, writes that since the + in LGBTQ+ means everyone, not only gay people, and concerns basic human rights, then straight people, too, need to stand for gay rights and support equal marriage. Do you believe in “one for all and all for equality”? Is your

In the world of diplomacy, nations have long utilised both soft power and hard power tactics to advance their interests; from cultural influence to military might, these approaches can be critical tools for achieving strategic objectives – but how do they work, and why do some countries need to rely on both? Desiree Mumm, an

Arthur Fertier, a French student specialised in political science and currently based in Tallinn, notes that a record number of Estonians voted online in the recent general election and asks whether it’s possible to copy Estonia’s system in France. On 5 March 2023, the Estonian general election took place with a particularly high turnout of

The newspaper “Our Church”, published by some of the clergy members of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, is spewing pure hatred towards the Estonian election results and, therefore, towards its people, Sten Hankewitz, the executive editor of Estonian World, writes. “Our Church”, the newspaper associated with the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church – or, well, as

Estonian journalist and author Paavo Kangur writes in his election commentary that in today’s Estonia, people usually vote for power and the party in power and that explains the Reform Party’s victory on 5 March; he also says the theme of these elections was a Freudian fear of death. Single candidate from near Tallinn, an

Mayyada Abdel Salam, a columnist based in Estonia, writes that the current approach towards regulating e-cigarettes in Estonia is misguided; rather than focusing on limiting access, the government should prioritise promoting healthy lifestyles. In recent years, vaping has become a major concern among young people globally, leading governments to regulate or ban the product. In

Bin Sou, a Tallinn-based South Korean tech professional, shares his five tips to weather through the cold in Estonia. I am sitting on the couch in the corner of my living room. I am looking out the window. By the allegro tempo of the tree branches waving, I assume it’s windy. I am grateful for

The Estonian postal and customs system deliberately makes receiving parcels from outside of the EU difficult – and for no other reason than “because it is so”, Sten Hankewitz, the executive editor of Estonian World, writes. There’s an old saying: Estonians follow Russian stupidity with German preciseness. Nowhere is that truer than when we look

However Russia ends the aggression against Ukraine, its hatred and its need for revenge, and the conviction in its own power and rightfulness, do not seem to be going anywhere, the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Martin Herem, writes. We are all waiting for the end of the war between Ukraine and