Estonian PM's Reform Party Is Re-Elected

 

The Guardian: Estonia’s PM, Kaja Kallas, secures election win with pro-Ukraine stance  

Her Reform party secured 31% against far-right’s 15% but Kallas must now form a coalition to govern 

The Reform party of Estonia’s prime minister, Kaja Kallas, secured first place in Sunday’s parliamentary election, a result that should ensure Tallinn remains one of Europe’s most staunchly pro-Ukraine governments. 

Results with 98% ballots counted showed the far-right EKRE party in second place, with 16.1% versus 31.5% for Kallas’ liberal group, reflecting concerns among some voters over the rising cost of living in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  

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WNU Editor: Estonian PM Kallas' liberal Reform Party won 37 out of 101 seats — three more than the last election in 2019 — after results were announced in the early hours of Monday morning.

The right-wing nationalist EKRE party came in second with 17 seats, down two seats compared to the last election. 

Meanwhile, the Center Party, traditionally favored by Estonia’s sizable ethnic-Russian minority, came in third with 16 seats. 

 Estonian PM's Reform Party Is Re-Elected  

Estonia's pro-Ukraine prime minister Kallas wins reelection -- AP 

Estonia: Kaja Kallas set for second term after election win -- DW 

Estonia PM Kaja Kallas to Forge New Coalition After Election Win -- Bloomberg

 Estonian PM Kaja Kallas's party easily wins election with pro-Ukraine stance -- The Telegraph

Estonia Goes To Polls With The Economy And Supporting Ukraine The Issues

 

Euronews: Estonia election: Soaring inflation and weapon deliveries to Ukraine top voter concerns 

Polling stations reopened this morning in Estonia as the country votes in its first general election since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. 

The centre-right Reform Party of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, one of Europe’s most outspoken supporters of Ukraine, is a favourite to win.

She faces a challenge from the far-right opposition Conservative People's Party of Estonia, or EKRE, which is seeking to limit the Baltic nation's exposure to the Ukraine crisis and is blaming the government for citizens' economic misery.  

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Estonia Goes To Polls With The Economy And Supporting Ukraine The Issues

Estonia votes in shadow of Russia's war in Ukraine -- DW

Estonia goes to polls with parties split on Ukraine -- AP

Estonia votes in election test for pro-Kyiv government -- Reuters  

Estonia votes in election test for pro-Kyiv government -- RTE 

Estonia Is Voting Sunday -- VOA

Estonia's Foreign Minister Says Military Aid To Ukraine Has Been Far From Satisfying

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu  

FOX News: NATO member urges allies to pay more after Ukraine war anniversary, claims 'crisis' in UN 

Estonia led charge calling for tribunal to examine potential Russian war crimes 

UNITED NATIONS, New York — Estonia has criticized NATO allies for not doing enough to continue supporting Ukraine as Russia’s invasion drags on past the one-year mark, and it also raised concerns that the U.N. may not be able to fulfill its duty in holding those in power responsible for alleged war crimes. 

"Members have not done enough," Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. 

"This is my comprehensive assessment." "The Western camp has supported weapons aid, given around 50 billion euros approximately, and this is far from being satisfying," Reinsalu added. "If we want to invest to Ukrainian victory, not only to invest to Ukraine, that they can survive and not lose, we have to change the paradigm of our support."  

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 Update: NATO Member Says 50 Billion Euros In Aid To Ukraine "Far From" Satisfying, Urges Allies To Boost Spending -- Zero Hedge/Epoch  

WNU Editor: The Foreign Minister from Estonia is also demanding NATO to put Ukraine under its nuclear umbrella .... Only NATO or Nukes Can Save Ukraine From Russia: Estonia Foreign Minister (Newsweek).

Estonian Prime Minister Says Putin Must Answer For War Crimes. Russian History Books Must Be Rewritten

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has suggested that the entire population of Russia must be re-educated. #reeducationcamps #rulesbasedorder pic.twitter.com/iLJa9M2y6c

— Geopolitics.wiki (@GeopoliticsW) February 20, 2023

Ukrayinska Pravda: Estonian Prime Minister: Putin must answer for crime of aggression, otherwise history will repeat itself 

Kaja Kallas, Estonian Prime Minister, has called for criminal consequences for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine. 

"Putin must be held accountable for the crime of aggression, otherwise history will repeat itself," Kallas said. Kallas noted that the International Criminal Court in the Hague can judge Putin for war crimes, but not for aggression against Ukraine. 

This requires a separate court. The actions of the International Criminal Court against Putin are currently impossible, in particular, because neither Russia nor Ukraine are contracting parties to the Rome Statute, which is the legal basis of this court.  

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Update: Estonian leader: Russia must be held accountable after war (AP).  

WNU Editor: The AP of course ignored these remarks from the Estonian PM .... Estonian PM wants to rewire Russian brains (RT), and her call for Russia’s history books to be rewritten after its defeat. 

Wow! Where to begin with this statement from Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. A lot of hatred and bigotry directed not at Putin, but to the Russian people.

One In Three Of Estonia's Military Reservists That Were Called Up For The Annual Defense Exercise Failed To Show Up

Exercise Okas 2022 in progress Source: Sergei Stepanov/ERR  

ERR.ee: Over a tenth of snap military exercise call-up emails went unopened 

More than 10 percent of those called-up to a recent snap military reservist exercise either did not open the email or did not receive it in the first place, the Estonian Defense Forces said on Monday. 

Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) commander, Lt Gen. Martin Herem, said of the call-up notifications for the "Okas" snap exercise held in late September: "There are people who didn't show up for the exercise, who didn't made contact, and we can see that they hadn't even opened the notification sent to them via the eesti.ee state portal environment." 

This was not necessarily an honest mistake in every case.

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Update: One in three of NATO member’s military reservists go AWOL (RT)  

WNU Editor: One in ten reservists did not even open their email.

Estonia's Prime Minister Tells The Nation To Prepare For Blackouts

A substation of the Estonian power distribution company "Elering" is pictured in Tallinn, Estonia. (File Photo: Reuters) 

Reuters: Estonian PM tells nation to prepare for blackouts if Russia switches off power grid 

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told her nation that power blackouts are possible if Russia kicks the Baltic states from the joint power grid, as she announced a snap defense readiness exercise. 

“We must also be prepared for Russia might disconnect Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania from their electricity grid”, she said in a televised address on Thursday evening, according to the government website. 

“It would be wise to be prepared for possible power outages – that includes public authorities, companies, and every individual”, she added, describing any disruptions as “temporary.”  

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Update: Estonian Premier Warns of Blackouts if Russia Cuts Grid Access (Bloomberg)  

WNU Editor: Estonia is confident that they can quickly connect to the European grid in the event that Russia switches off the power grid .... Estonia grid connected to Europe 'in 12 hours' in event of Russia blackout (EER News).

War Upends Ethnic Relations In Estonia

 

Politico: Tanks for the memories: War upends ethnic relations in Estonia 

Ethnic Estonians and Russian-speakers differ over the war in Ukraine, prompting government fears over integration. 

NARVA, Estonia — Anna Gisser was out for a stroll through Narva’s leafy Siivertsi park last week, when the 82-year-old pensioner was stopped by two policemen and told to wait. 

Workers were in the park loading a Soviet-era tank memorial onto a truck and carting it off to a museum — part of Tallinn’s effort to remove what for ethnic Estonians glorifies half a century of brutal Soviet occupation, but what local Russian-speakers feel commemorates fallen Red Army soldiers from World War II. 

“I feel disgusted,” said Gisser, a Russian-born former energy construction worker who has lived in Estonia since 1957. “For me, this is about memory … they’ve disrespected my very being.”  

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Update: ‘I’m always looking over my shoulder’: anxiety among Estonia’s Russians (The Guardian)  

WNU Editor: Ethnic relations were already horrible before the war even though almost a quarter of the country identify themselves as Russian. And while the war has exacerbated relations, including the collapse of the Estonian government .... Estonian Government Coalition Collapses (June 5, 2022), my prediction is that it is going to get worse including imposing insane measures like this one .... Estonia has banned Russian tourists. Now it's lobbying the European Union to do the same (CBC).

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas Tenders Her Resignation. Gets Mandate From President To Form New Government

Kallas, who heads the centre-right Reform Party, proposed to convene an extraordinary sitting of the parliament on Friday, where she is to ask for a mandate for her new government coalition with conservative Isamaa and opposition Social Democratic Party. [EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ]  

Euronews: Estonian PM Kallas resigns to form new government 

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas resigned on Thursday in order to form a new government coalition in the Baltic country. She will convene an extraordinary sitting of the parliament tomorrow to ask for a "mandate for the new government coalition" with the small conservative Fatherland "Isamaa" party and the opposition Social Democratic Party. Kallas said in a statement that in order to form a new government, the current executive needed to resign. The three parties together will have a 55-seat majority in the 101-seat Riigikogu legislature. 

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WNU Editor: Like what happened in Italy yesterday (link here), I doubt a new government if it is formed will last long. 

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas Tenders Her Resignation. Gets Mandate From President To Form New Government 

 Estonian Leader Kaja Kallas Asked to Form New Government -- AP  

Estonia Prime Minister Kallas Gets Mandate From President to Form New Government -- Bloomberg  

Estonia’s prime minister resigns in push for new government -- Euractiv  

Two More Gone, The Prime Minister of Estonia and the Prime Minister of Italy Tender Their Resignations -- Last Refuge

Estonia's Prime Minister Says European Unity On Ukraine Growing More Difficult

Kaja Kallas. Source: Riigikantselei  

The Guardian: European unity on Ukraine growing more difficult, says Estonian PM  

Kaja Kallas warns pain of sanctions will test relations, and also criticises Macron’s stance on Putin  

European unity over the response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is proving difficult to maintain in the face of the war’s impact on inflation and living standards across the continent, Estonia’s prime minister has said. 

Kaja Kallas also criticised the French president, Emmanuel Macron, for trying to provide Vladimir Putin with a diplomatic way out of the conflict, saying the only effect was to give the Russian leader the belief that he will not be isolated or face justice for his army’s war crimes.  

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WNU Editor: Estonia's PM Kaja Kallas has her own problems. Her coalition government has collapsed .... Estonian Government Coalition Collapses (June 5, 2022). Estonia is facing 20% inflation (link here). And a quarter of Estonia are on the side of Russia (link here).

Estonian Government Coalition Collapses

The Telegraph: Estonian government collapses amid fears of Russian security threat  

Estonia’s government has collapsed amid fears Moscow is attempting to destabilise the country, which is hosting a key Nato deployment of British troops. 

Kaja Kallas, the prime minister, accused her coalition partners of “actively working against Estonia’s core values” in the face of the Russian security threat. 

Her liberal Reform party was in an uneasy alliance with the Centre party, which only cut its long-standing ties with Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party after the invasion of Ukraine. 

“The security situation in Europe does not give me any opportunity as prime minister to continue cooperation with the Centre party,” Ms Kallas said before a backdrop of the flags of the EU, Estonia and Nato.  

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WNU editor: This coalition collapsed for a number of reasons, but the Ukraine war is IMHO the main one. The coalition partner that was kicked-out is mainly supported by Estonia's Russian speaking population (they make up 25% of the population), who only broke ties with the Russian government after the Ukraine invasion.

Estonian Government Coalition Collapses  

Estonia’s PM calls for new government talks as coalition collapses -- The Guardian 

Estonia: Governing coalition collapses -- DW  

Estonian government in crisis as coalition crumbles -- AFP  

Estonian PM Removes Coalition Partner From Government -- Reuters  

Estonian prime minister dismisses junior coalition partner from government -- ERR

Estonia Becomes The First NATO Country to Call For A No-Fly Zone Over ukraine

 

FOX News: Russia-Ukraine: Parliament of NATO country Estonia calls for 'immediate' establishment of no-fly zone  

Estonia is the first NATO member nation to have a body formally call for the implementation of a no-fly zone amid Russia’s war on Ukraine. 

The parliament of Estonia on Monday called for UN member states to "take immediate steps to establish a no-fly zone" over Ukraine to prevent further civilian casualties as Russia’s multi-front war against the country rages on. 

Estonia is the first NATO member nation to have a body formally call for the implementation of a no-fly zone amid Russia’s ongoing invasion. 

"The Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) expresses its support to the defenders and the people of the state of Ukraine in their fight against the Russian Federation that has launched a criminal war, and calls on showing absolute support to Ukraine in its war for maintaining its freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity," Estonia's parliament said in a statement Monday.  

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WNU Editor: A no-fly zone is not going to happen.

Reform Party Beats Centre Rivals In Estonian Parliamentary Election

BBC: Estonia general election: Reform party beats Centre rivals

The centre-right Reform party has won Estonia's general election, beating the ruling Centre party.

Reform, led by former MEP Kaja Kallas, took about 29% of the vote to 23% for Centre in Sunday's ballot.

Meanwhile the far-right Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE), which has called for a referendum on EU membership, came a close third.

Ms Kallas - set to be Estonia's first female prime minister - said all coalition options were on the table.

Speaking to public broadcaster ETV however she insisted EKRE were "not a choice for us".

Nearly a quarter of Estonia's 881,000 eligible voters cast their ballots by e-voting. Results from e-voting gave Reform an even higher score.

Read more ....

More News On Estonia's Parliamentary Election

The Latest: Center-right tops Estonia vote, populists gain -- AP
Reform Party overwhelmingly wins e-vote -- ERR
Estonian center-right opposition wins parliamentary election -- Reuters
Populist party gains as Estonia faces possible power swap -- AP
Estonia general election: Polls point to tight vote -- BBC
Estonia election: rise of far right threatens centrist parties -- The Guardian
What to know about Estonia’s general election -- AP

Are Estonia's Banks The Money-Laundering Nexus For The World?

Zero Hedge: Estonian Central Bank Exposed As $1 Trillion Money-Laundering Nexus

The fallout from the Danske Bank money laundering scandal has rattled the European financial system as $235 billion that flowed through the bank's tiny Estonian branch - an amount that dwarfs the Baltic nation's GDP - has been deemed by the bank's auditors to be suspicious.

And while that might seem like a staggering sum and raise questions about how regulators on the Continent managed to overlook this, the full scale of the money laundering that took place in the Baltics is even more staggering. According to data provided to Bloomberg by the Estonian central bank in Tallinn, Estonian banks handled about 900 billion euros, or $1.04 trillion, in cross-border transactions - a figure that includes the highly suspect non-resident flows - between 2008 and 2015.

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WNU Editor: I am willing to bet that a lot of this money is from Russia.

Britain Deploys Troops And Tanks To Estonia To 'Deter' Russia

Daily Mail: Hundreds of British troops, tanks and heavy armour are sent to Russia’s border in the biggest show of force against Moscow since the Cold War

* A group of 120 soldiers arrived in Estonia, and 300 vehicles will arrive next week
* The eastern European country, who thinks Russia is a threat, asked for the help
* Sir Michael Fallon said the soldiers are 'standing up to Russian aggression'

Hundreds of British troops and tanks are on their way to an EU border with Russia in the biggest show of force against Moscow since the Cold War.

An advance guard of some 120 troops touched down last night at an air base in Estonia, a country which borders Russia and sees Moscow as a threat to the West.

Three hundred vehicles will arrive by next week, including Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, Challenger 2 tanks and AS90 artillery weapons.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: A deployment of a thousand troops and a few tanks to Estonia is not going to change one bit the situation in the Baltics or elsewhere.

More News On Britain's Deployment Of Troops And Tanks To Estonia To 'Deter' Russia

UK troops in Estonia to deter 'Russian aggression' -- BBC
British troops arrive in Estonia to deter Russian aggression in one of biggest deployments to region in decades -- The Telegraph
British troops land in Estonia for Nato mission to deter Russia -- The Guardian
UK troops in Estonia to counter 'increasingly assertive Russia' -- SKY News
UK troops in Estonia is 'defensive deployment' against Russia, says Sir Michael Fallon -- International Business Times
UK troops deployed in Estonia to ‘defend NATO’ from Russia -- RT

An Arms Buildup In The Baltics

Baltic States Spend Big On Defense As Russia Buzzes Borders -- The Telegraph

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania strike £240 million of arms deals as they watch Vladimir Putin's Ukrainian adventure with alarm.

Russia's meddling in Ukraine has delivered a wake-up call on defence spending to small Baltic states which spent half a century under Soviet occupation and now fear the Kremlin's territorial ambitions.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are on heightened alert as Russian military planes and warships skirt their airspace and sea borders on a daily basis in what they call "unprecedented" Russian activity.

Nato said its Baltic air patrol intercepted more than 30 Russian aircraft on Monday alone over the Baltic Sea and off the coast of Norway.

That same day Lithuania put its military on higher alert after 22 Russian warships were spotted in the Baltic Sea, including a heavily-armed corvette within three miles of Latvia's sea border.

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My Comment: Spending £240 million on arms deals is not going to deter Russia nor will it placate the restive Russian communities in these countries.

Russia - Estonia Ties Fray Over 'Captured Spy'

Raid: Russian security services released pictures of Eston Kohver, who they claim is intelligence-gathering for Estonia. He could be imprisoned for twenty years if found guilty of espionage. Daily Mail

Russians Open New Front After Estonian Official Is Captured In 'Cross-Border Raid' -- The Guardian

Eston Kohver taken to Moscow and paraded on TV as 'spy' two days after Obama's visit to Baltic state.

The Estonian-Russia border at Luhamaa does not look like a new Checkpoint Charlie. Set among the wooded plains that mark Nato and the European Union's eastern-most territory, the crossing is more likely to be the site of long lines of idling lorries than machine-gun nests and prisoner exchanges.

But that era of post-cold war calm may have come to an end on Friday morning, when, according to several Estonian accounts, smoke grenades detonated at an Estonian customs post, and all radio and telephone signals were jammed as armed Russian men suddenly materialised and dragged away a local official.

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More News On Russian - Estonian Ties Fraying Over 'Captured Spy'

Russia and Estonia Differ Over Detention -- NYT
Estonian 'spy' found with pistol, cash and 'recording equipment' is kidnapped in his home country by Russians and now faces 20 years in Moscow jail -- Daily Mail
Moscow Court Orders Arrest of Alleged Estonian Spy -- Moscow Times
Russia says detained Estonian police officer is a spy -- The Guardian
Estonia accuses Russia of kidnapping security official -- CNN
Estonia angry at Russia 'abduction' on border -- BBC
Estonian security officer detained in Russia on suspicion of spying -- RT
Russia Steps Up Pressure on the Baltics -- Will Cathcart, Daily Beast
NATO faces 1st test, as Estonia accuses Russia of abduction -- CBC
This is bad: Russia 'abducts' Estonian officer after Obama says US will defend Estonia -- VOX

Estonia Is The Tripwire For Russia To Cross

An American Ally In Putin's Line Of Fire -- Matthew Kaminski, Wall Street Journal

Estonia's president, who was raised in New Jersey, on how Crimea has changed 'everything' and what NATO should do now.

From the pinkish presidential palace here, the Russia border lies 130 miles due east across a flat coastal Baltic plain. Toomas Hendrik Ilves took up residence in 2006, two years after his small Baltic state joined the European Union and NATO. At the time, most people assumed that any Russian threat had been buried with Peter the Great, who first brought Estonia into Russia's empire.

Not so fast. "Everything has changed," President Ilves says almost as soon as we sit down for a Thursday afternoon coffee.

"The post-Cold War order. Peace, love, Woodstock. Everyone gets along—sure we have minor problems here and there, human rights not always so good, but there are no more border changes." After last month, he says, "that's out." Russia annexed Crimea, massed forces on Ukraine's eastern borders, and prodded "Russian speakers" to rise against the government in Kiev. Moscow also pointedly complained about the treatment of Slavic kinsmen in the Baltic states, the same charge used to justify the invasion of Ukraine.

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My Comment: In any conflict with Russia Estonia will play the role of tripwire .... a role that I hope will never become a reality in the future.

Could Estonia Be Next? (Updated)

People cross the Estonia-Russia border in Narva, Estonia, in June 2007. Some have worried that Estonia's Ida-Viru County, where Narva sits and home to much of the country's ethnic Russian population, could be the next site of a Russian annexation like that of Crimea from Ukraine. Ints Kalnins/Reuters/File

Could Estonia Be The Next Target Of Russian Annexation? -- Gordon Sander, Christian Science Monitor

Some fear Estonia's Russian-speaking minority could try to follow Crimea's path. But many see the grass as greener in Estonia.

At a cursory glance, Estonia's Ida-Viru County bears some concerning similarities to Crimea. It is predominantly Russian speaking, is located in Russia's shadow, and has a long history tied to its neighbor. But Aleksandr Dusman insists that Ida-Viru County will not willingly break away from Estonia to seek the Kremlin's embrace the way Crimea did.

“Not going to happen,” says Mr. Dusman, a businessman and engineer who has been active in Ida-Viru County's regional government affairs for 20 years.

After Russia's lightning invasion and annexation of Crimea from Ukraine – and the acclaim with which the Russian-speaking dominated populace there evidently greeted it – there has been alarm across Europe that the Kremlin would soon turn its eyes toward annexing other predominantly Russian-speaking regions abroad. And few regions seemed to present a better target than this remote corner of the former Soviet republic of Estonia, where the country's 340,000 Russian speakers – out of a population of 1.3 million – are concentrated.

Read more ....

Previous Posts:
Is Estonia Next? (March 20, 2014)
Could A Small Estonian Town Spell the End Of NATO? (March 31, 2014)

My Comment: As I had mentioned in my commentary in the above two previous posts .... the Russians are not going to go into Estonia.

Is Estonia Next?

Moscow Signals Concern For Russians In Estonia -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Russia signaled concern on Wednesday at Estonia's treatment of its large ethnic Russian minority, comparing language policy in the Baltic state with what it said was a call in Ukraine to prevent the use of Russian.

Russia has defended its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula by arguing it has the right to protect Russian-speakers outside its borders, so the reference to linguistic tensions in another former Soviet republic comes at a highly sensitive moment.

Russia fully supported the protection of the rights of linguistic minorities, a Moscow diplomat told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, according to a summary of the session issued by the U.N.'s information department.

Read more ....

More News On Reports That Estonia May Be Next To Feel Moscow's Wrath

Russia talks tough with Estonia as ‘protecting Russian speakers’ excuse wheeled out again after justifying Crimean takeover -- News.com.au
Russia Protests Estonia's Treatment Of Russian Minority, Echoing Pretext For Crimea Takeover -- IBTimes
Ethnic Russians in the Baltics Are Actually Persecuted. So Why Isn't Putin Stepping In? -- Julia Ioffe, New Republic
Putin issues veiled threat against NATO-member Estonia -- America Blog

My Comment: Estonia and Latvia are member states in NATO .... any Russian military/militia intervention will result in war. Having said that .... it is also true that Estonia's laws are incredibly abusive and discriminatory against Russians .... even against those who have lived there for generations. Julia Ioffe at the New Republic sums up what is happening perfectly.

The World's Internet Powerhouse Is Estonia

How Tiny Estonia Stepped Out Of USSR's Shadow To Become An Internet Titan -- The Guardian

The European country where Skype was born made a conscious decision to embrace the web after shaking off Soviet shackles.

In 1995, four years after Estonia broke free from the USSR, Toomas Hendrik Ilves read a "very Luddite" book by Jeremy Rifkin called The End of Work. "It argued that with greater computerisation there would be fewer jobs," remembered Ilves, then a senior diplomat, now the country's president, "which from his point of view was terrible."

Ilves and many of his colleagues saw it differently. In a tiny (population: 1.4 million) and newly independent country like Estonia, politicians realised computers could help quickly compensate for both a minuscule workforce and a chronic lack of physical infrastructure.

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My Comment: They may have a dominant position now .... but threats to the internet as we know it may change this.