✔︎ "Three years ago this week, Russia stole a piece of Ukraine's territory. And the world has not been the same since.”
- Foto: Kalmer Lehepuu | Loodusturism
_____________
Friday 17. March
_____________
- NATO sõdurid saabusid Eestisse
(Postimees)
- Nearly 130 British troops arrive in Estonia
(Baltic Times)
- Lithuania Wants NATO Command To Move Closer To Eastern Borders
(RFERL)
- Eesti saab eesistumise ajal EL-i kaitsepoliitikasse panustada
(ERR)
- TV3 müük sai kinnituse
(EER)
- MTG sells Baltic media businesses to US company
(ERR)
"Key operations included in the sale are three TV channels in Estonia (TV3, TV3+ and TV6), five TV channels in Latvia (TV3, TV3+, TV6, Kanals 2 and LNT) and three TV channels in Lithuania (TV3, TV6, TV8), the third largest commercial television operator in the Baltic region, nationwide commercial radio stations, digital assets and an online advertising consultancy operating across the Baltic region.”
- New Kind of War Demands New Defensive Alliances
by Toomas Hendrik Ilves
(Defense One)
"If we return to Clausewitz’s definition of war as the continuation of policy by other means, then what we are seeing is clearly the continuation of policy by other means. And then we must think not just about critical infrastructure attacks as war, but attacks on democratic elections in the same light."
- Ilves: Estonia’s cyber security experience is trusted
(The Baltic Times)
- Läti leegionäride rongkäigul osales paar tuhat inimest
(ERR)
- Estonia’s Eurovision Song Contest 2017 entry
(The Sun - Uk)
- The Leader of the Free World Meets Donald Trump
(Politico)
"Angela Merkel, whether she wants the job or not, is the West’s last, best hope."
—
- US President Welcomes Chancellor Merkel to the White House
(Deutsche Welle)
--
- Trump affirms support for NATO but says member nations ‘must pay what they owe’
(Washington Post)
—
- Press Conference Results In Extraordinary Wiretapping ‘Joke’
(Huffington Post-Uk)
"Merkel grew up in Communist East Germany and is unlikely to appreciate the making light of issues of surveillance.”
_____________
Thursday 16. March
_____________
- Suri endine kaitseväe juhataja kindral Aleksander Einseln
(ERR | Postimees)
--
- Former defense forces chief Gen. Aleksander Einseln dies at 85
(ERR)
"Aleksander Einseln, an Estonian refugee who rose to the rank of colonel in the US army and then served as commander of Estonia’s defense forces in the 1990s, has died after a long illness. He played a key role in preparing the Estonian military for integration into NATO."
- EU: Merkel claims Dutch election result sends pro-Europe signal
(Deutsche Welle | EU Observer | Foreign Policy)
"In what many considered to be a bellwether election for the European Union, the center-right Rutte clearly defeated Wilders in what many saw as a symbolic victory against European populism."
—
—
- Dutch Vote in Droves
(The Intercept)
- What Did the Dutch Election Really Prove?
(The Atlantic)
- Europe's Reverse Domino Effect: No One Is Following Britain Out of the EU
(Foreign Affairs)
- Latvia’s fortress think tank
(Politico-Europe)
"Much like its counterpart in Tallinn, the alliance’s center for cyber defense, StratCom draws fire from Sputnik and other Russian propaganda outlets, which accuse it of being a NATO “spy station.” Some Latvians, alarmed by the slow-motion Russian coup they say is taking place, wouldn’t mind if it was."
- Excerpt: Up the Baltick
(Deep Baltic)
“… Latvia-based writer Mike Collier’s latest book, Up the Baltick. Presented as a remarkable literary find, the novel dramatises an expedition through this part of the world by the celebrated 18th-century writer and thinker Samuel Johnson, the author of the first dictionary of the English language, and his amanuensis and biographer, the Scottish writer James Boswell. During the journey, recorded by Boswell, the two travel through modern-day Latvia and Estonia, then part of the Russian Empire, stopping off not only in Riga and Tallinn, but also in Liepāja, Jelgava, Tartu and Mustvee (or Libau, Mitau, Dorpat and Tschorna, as they would have known them)."
https://deepbaltic.com/2017/03/13/up-the-baltick-with-boswell-and-johnson/
(Deep Baltic)
“… Latvia-based writer Mike Collier’s latest book, Up the Baltick. Presented as a remarkable literary find, the novel dramatises an expedition through this part of the world by the celebrated 18th-century writer and thinker Samuel Johnson, the author of the first dictionary of the English language, and his amanuensis and biographer, the Scottish writer James Boswell. During the journey, recorded by Boswell, the two travel through modern-day Latvia and Estonia, then part of the Russian Empire, stopping off not only in Riga and Tallinn, but also in Liepāja, Jelgava, Tartu and Mustvee (or Libau, Mitau, Dorpat and Tschorna, as they would have known them)."
https://deepbaltic.com/2017/03/13/up-the-baltick-with-boswell-and-johnson/
- Eesti on Vene turistide kuues sihtkoht
(ERR)
_____________
Wednesday 15. March
_____________
- Blogi: Ilves USA senatis
(Delfi)
- Ilves’ Written Testimony in Today’s U.S. Senate Hearing
(U. S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary)
“The Modus Operandi and Toolbox of Russia and Other Autocracies for Undermining Democracies Throughout the World.” Before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism March 15, 2017."
- U. S. Senate Committee video:
(Ilves is 32 minutes in)
- Baltics Take Step Toward Creating Single Security Space
(Jamestown Foundation)
“… the turning point in cooperative Baltic relations came soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine."
- Ambassador Eerik Marmei: We need to recognise Russia’s threat to the whole world
(Estonian World)
"In a written testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, Marmei said Russia had demonstrated “time and again that it cannot be trusted”.
- Talsinki tunneli saaks ehitada viie aastaga
(Äripäev)
"Läänemere põhjas paiknev tugev aluskivim kulgeb Helsingist Tallinnani välja ja sellesse on hea ehitada, kirjutab Helsingin Sanomat."
- Tunneli Tallinnaan voisi valmistua jopa viidessä vuodessa
(Helsingin Sanomat - in Finnish)
- Helsinki-Tallinn Railway Tunnel
(Railway Technology | Railway Gazette)
"The 92km-long tunnel is estimated to be completed at a cost of approximately $14bn (€13bn)."
—
- Eestisse tuleb 130 Ühendkuningriigi kaitseväelast
(ERR)
- NATO's Northern Alliance
(Foreign Affairs)
_____________
Tuesday 14. March
_____________
- Four Thousand Ethnic Russians in Estonia Now Consider Estonian Their Native Language
(Paul Goble)
“… while 24,000 ethnic Estonians say they don’t speak Estonian – and the state statistics department says that most of those speak Russian. In addition, Tallinn officials say more than 220,000 ethnic Russians say they now speak Estonian, and more than 8,000 people from all nationalities who are not citizens say that they consider Estonian their native language."
- Tommie Expats Finding Home In Estonia
(University of St. Thomas)
- Kaljuraid and Terras visit Estonian soldiers serving in Lebanon
(Baltic Times)
“… visited the members of the Estonian defense forces serving in the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon."
- U.S., Estonia moving forward together
(DVID)
- Estonia's open migration policy surprising even in Europe
(Postimees - 6. March 2017)
"For example, if a person from Vietnam wants to become a cook in Estonia, they can first arrive in the country with an ordinary tourist visa. Provided a local restaurant is willing to hire them for at least the average salary and register the fact with the Police and Border Guard Board, everything's done. A foreigner can use this procedure to work in Estonia nine months out of the year."
--
"Estonia has visa freedom with more than 60 countries residents of which can stay here three months our of six without needing a visa. While Estonia is probably not a very tempting place to work for people from Singapore or Monaco, the country could constitute an exciting opportunity for those from Malaysia or Albania."
_____________
Monday 13. March
_____________
- Countering the Hybrid War - The Finnish Way
(Petri Mäkelä)
https://medium.com/@pmakela1/countering-the-hybrid-war-the-finnish-way-82ccdb0b80a5#.5009cvkou
(Petri Mäkelä)
https://medium.com/@pmakela1/countering-the-hybrid-war-the-finnish-way-82ccdb0b80a5#.5009cvkou
- The Gray Zone
(Slate)
"With “gray passports,” many ethnic Russians in Estonia live in a state of legal limbo."
- Where Are The Solutions to Wars, Terrorism and The Refugee Crisis In A Post-EU World?
(Up North - by Urmas Paet)
"The discussion about the possible disintegration of the EU became more concrete after the UK voted to leave.”
—
"It should not be forgotten that over the existence of the EU, no member state has been at war with one another. We should compared this with Europe’s bloody history before the formation of the EU. The EU single market is working and has given a big boost to many companies inside the Member States. Citizens are free to travel inside the EU. The Euro Zone is working and has had a disciplinary effect on several governments."
--
"There are 530 million citizens in the EU and that makes it a considerable and important force in the world, and none of the big countries – Germany, France, Italy or UK – would be able to accomplish that on their own."
_____________
- Belarus -
_____________
- Europe, keep an eye on Minsk
(Politico-Europe)
[Belarus borders with Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. It is not in the EU nor in NATO.]
- Belarus Criticized For Largest Crackdown On Protesters In Years
(RFERL)
—
- Lukašenka-vastane miiting lõppes anarhistide vahistamisega
(Postimees)
"Protestimeeleavalduste taust on Valgevene halb majanduslik olukord, mis on kaasa toonud inimeste elatustaseme tuntava languse. Eriti regioonides on inimeste sissetulekud langenud 200-250 euroni kuus ning on raske leida tööd."
- Russian Agents in Minsk Pushing Lukashenka to Crack Down Hard, Belarusian Analysts Say
(Window on Eurasia)
“… not to make any concessions to the protesters but rather to crack down hard as he did in 2010, according to Minsk analysts. Such an action would not only completely block any possibility that Lukashenka could achieve a further rapprochement with the West and thus force Minsk back into Moscow’s tight embrace but also spark the kind of clashes that the Russian government could use to justify armed intervention in Belarus."
- 'Near Revolution' In Belarus
(Forbes | Window on Eurasia)
—
- Thousands Hit Belarus Streets In Protests Against Tax On Jobless
(RFERL)
- The Far-Reaching Consequences of Belarus’s Conflict with Russia
(Carnegie Moscow Center)
- Belarus' Top Experts Ordered to Withdraw from Russian-Led Customs Union
(The Moscow Times)
_____________
- Russia -
"Trust No One"
_____________
- Baker’s Dozen of Neglected Russian Stories
(Paul Goble)
- 'We Should Never Trust Russia,' Warns U.S. Ambassador To UN
(RFERL)
- What Does Vladimir Putin Want?
(New York Magazine)
[Interview with Alexander Vershbow, U.S. amb. to Russia from 2001 to 2005.]
- How Stalin rebuilt Moscow in his own image
(CNN)
—
- Putin’s Cronies: Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous
(The Daily Beast)
- Russia Authorities Move To Ban Jehovah's Witnesses As Extremists
(RFERL)
“… would be the first time that an entire registered religious denomination had been banned in Russian law. The denomination, which says it has 170,000 adherents in Russia, said the appeal specifically targets the organization’s main headquarters in St. Petersburg."
