Opinion stories from and about Estonians.
The European project becomes more and more technocratic and further and further away from the people. Voters do not feel that they are part of the project. They are missing a vision and big new goals. Since March this year, the restored Republic of Estonia has lasted longer than the pre-war …
Estonia has been riding the high of many positive ratings in various global indices — from democracy to press freedom to innovation, this nation has ranked among some of the most developed nations in the world proving itself to be a force to be reckoned with. However, it’s not all good news for the …
Adrienne Warren: Good, better, best? Estonia and the Better Life Index 2013 Read More »
East, West, North or South? The notion of geographical space is always subjective. What we view as North or East constitutes South or West for those living respectively further North or further East. However, in most cases mental geographies are very conscious constructions, and geographical space is no longer simply …
Anna-Cara Keim: Mental geographies and identities in the Baltic Sea region Read More »
Divisions in Europe are nothing new, and a continent without them would be bland and uninteresting. But that is no reason to exaggerate them, or to make them more significant than they are. The desire to pigeonhole countries is deeply rooted: Catholic versus Protestant Europe, or Western Christian versus Orthodox; …
Although it may seem that Europe is down and out as it struggles with multiple crises, things are in fact far, far better than they appear on the surface. By Hans Kundnani & Mark Leonard This article first appeared in Foreign Policy magazine and European Council on Foreign Relations website. I …
For anyone who has had even the most rudimentary training in the musical arts or who enjoys high-quality music, the Eurovision Song Contest is something to be avoided at all costs. But to others it’s something of a yearly Olympics – if forgettable pop music were an Olympic sport. The …
Adam Garrie: Is Eurovision a national obsession? Read More »
In rejecting the asylum plea of Omar, an interpreter who worked with Estonian troops in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, the Estonian government this week thumbed its nose at pretty much everything that’s been going for it in recent history. Admittedly, it may have thought itself in good company after …
Ahto Lobjakas: Estonia’s betrayal of Omar, the Pashtun interpreter Read More »
We should recognise the ever strengthening position of Portuguese-speaking people in the world. I borrowed the idea for this title from a magazine article published years ago which claimed that a young Spanish-speaking ‘Generation Ñ’ was bolstering its position in various fields in the United States. Be it as it …
Marin Mõttus: Are we witnessing the rise of a new generation ã? Read More »
LGBT rights (that’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual for the unaware) have always been an emotive issue. The US, UK and France have announced plans to enshrine marriage equality in law and, at least in the latter two, there is a likelihood of this political plan becoming a legal reality. Whilst feelings …
Chris Glew: Estonia needs to address its false phobias Read More »
Let us begin with the premise that there is no universal morality. If one accepts this premise it logically follows that there can be no corporate (in the literal sense of ‘group’) morality. Politics is necessarily a corporate institution and therefore any attempts to interject a morality into politics is …
Adam Garrie: Investment – attract don’t attack. A warning from Cyprus Read More »
