I'm so so happy that the world is starting to actively learn from the experience of Estonia. We have a couple of sayings that maybe describe why we are how we are: "üheksa korda mõõda, üks kord lõika" - "measure nine times, cut once" and "Me pole nii rikkad, et osta odavaid asju" - "We're not rich enough to buy cheap things". Latter not being an estonian saying but we are the embodiement of it.
Viimase ütlusega päris nõus olla ikka küll ei saa - nii inimesed kui riik selgelt pigemini otsivad kuis ikka odavamini läbi saaks. Küll aga: “we aren't rich enough to buy crappy things multiple times for cheap rather than one proper quality tool for a price that it well deserves”.
Excellent informative analysis. I saw some comments over the lengths of videos. It is a bit ludicrous asking for short videos for such subjects. I command the channel owner on actually being able to condense the bulk of information in 1 hour videos. Thumbs up.
Estonia might have the regions with the largest ethnic Russian proportion in Baltics (which are border regions on top of that), but Latvia has more ethnic Russians of the overall population, including a sizeable proportion in the capital (over 40%). And it isn't as economically successful as Estonia. Go figure, where the situation is more precarious.
A few years ago I read a story from an Estonian perspective if Russia invaded, they would resist, but it wouldn't be successful and they would rely on help from NATO to expel the Russians. Fast forward a few years, and it was Ukraine who was invaded, and it needs help. Ukraine is not NATO and it doesn't get the same help Estonia would. Whoever wrote that story, I hope they have taken heart. Russia had really made itself into a pariah. Their military isn't so great, and they certainly don't want to get along.
Foreign policy is not geopolitics. To engage in geopolitics, it is necessary to have the ability to influence the balance of power in the world (by military or economic means). And I would really like to hear about how, where and when Estonia significantly influenced the world agenda.
Whether some like it or not. Estonia and Russia are security partners regardles of Estonia being in NATO. If both sides acknowledge each others security concerns there will be prosperity. If Estonia proceeds on the way of derussification as seen in Ukraine it will ignite war. Baltic states and Poland are the ones that will suffer the most in a major war. Don't be fooled about MAD being an abolute fact in a nuclear confrontation. There is possibility where a nuclear war on European soil will stop before an all out exchange between USA and Russia happens.
Incorrect, solviets did not beat the nazzies in Estonia, Estonians did, they beat both as Estonia won the indepencence was against Russia ("Tartu rahu" treaty).
I recommend you to modify your comment, as it currently comes off rather confusing, with keeping the following in mind: “Tartu Rahu” resulted from War of Independence during WW1 - nazis emerged in interwar period and were infamously combated with in WW2.
Just a suggestion, shorter lengths videos attract more people. Like i watched your Indonesia balance of power video. But i can't watch a 1 hour video on geopolitics of Estonia. A 5 minute video on the other hand is something worth watching.
do shorts on each 1 hr vid...like a summary; me personally, i like the long in-depth videos; though the "shorts" do bring in more people who may also want the longer vids. i think of it like an advertisement.
You forgot one extremely important thing. The Estonians were most Westernised because they are Finnic people, Estonians were not watching ''Swedish and Finnish TV'', they were watching FINNISH TV in particular, because it is the easiest language to pick up for Estonians, since it comes from the same language family. For Latvians and Lithuanians, Finnish and Estonian is just gibberish. That's equally true for the Swedes and other Scandinavian countries.
Am an Estonian and i am so proud to be one! All tough am an expat living in Norway!but have a lot of respect for Estonian Russians they are Hard working family people! Have some good friends there!
As an Estonian studying Politics, I find some of the stuff mentioned by the podcast hoster to be sadly of poor quality, mainly with the third Interviewee. Firstly the concept of Estonian Police or solider beating up people in Narva is completely unrealistic. Estonian police are not like that from Russia or other countries and are very professional. For any police officer or solider to act like this would be a breaking of character, and this idea is only possible with a full negative societally change. Secondarily, in regards to claiming that the country is breaking moral grounds is showing that the hoster, like many in the West, are restricted to believing in post-WW2 western Europe and North American views on the State, while here in Estonia, the concept of the State is different, as the State was legally created, restored, and has a Constitutional Duty to "mis peab tagama eesti rahvuse, keele ja kultuuri säilimise läbi aegade"(Eesti Vabariigi põhiseadus, enne esimene peatükk) or in English "that must ensure the preservation of the Estonian nation, language and culture through the ages". The Government is required by the Constitution and the Estonian Nation to be active in preserving our people, language, and culture. Your logic dictates that in order for our state and people to be moral, we must break our law, and our reasons for existence. So please in the future when you have another podcast, ensure that you have studied the character of entities you want to bring up before the interviewees and that you understand important concepts related to the interviews.
Greetings from Canada. I think you are overreacting. He presented the police brutality scenario as a pure hypothetical. As for the laws promoting Estonian language, culture and identity, he said the EU found the laws to not be unduly burdensome or unfair, meaning they are acceptable. So by all accounts, Estonia's approach has been approved and validated by everyone that matters. I wish Estonia all the best.
