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01 December, 2017



✔︎ OpEd: "The Self-Destruction of American Democracy" 
(New York Times)

✔︎ Jõekääru: A photo essay by Kristen Dobbin  
(Washington Post)

✔︎ Tartu led a 3-day 'Cyber Coalition 2017' exercise 
(see Weds.)


- Archive:
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Friday 1. 
December
_____________


✔︎ Off Topic: The Self-Destruction of American Democracy
by Thomas B. Edsall
(New York Times - OpEd)
"First and foremost, Trump has gravely damaged the premises and procedures that undergird American democracy. … it is important that we understand that the U.S. has largely been doing these things to itself. …  he has simultaneously diminished the international stature of the United States …”
—
"As America is seen as an increasingly volatile and unreliable partner, the reduced credibility that follows creates new international opportunities for people like Putin  who can promise relative stability. … America’s diplomatic power is being weakened internally as complex, global crises are growing externally. … Political norms that are the bulwark of our democracy cannot be easily repaired once damaged"

Graphic: New York Times


- At the Estonian National Museum
(London Review of Books)
“… the new building, opened several months before Estonia took up the presidency of the Council of the EU, suggests how the country would like to be seen today: bright, open, European, on the up."




- Pope Francis to visit Estonia in the autumn of 2018
(Catholic Herald | Baltic Times | Postimees)
"The visit is reportedly being planned to mark the three nations' declaration of independence from Russia."
--
—



- Commander of French contingent recognizes Estonian soldiers
(Baltic Times)
"Estonians are very motivated and eager to learn - if they were forced to fight, they would fight in their own country. I believe that the difference was also noticed by the French soldiers - what it feels to fight in one's own country. … What also stood out was the creativeness of Estonians."

- Venemaa elektrooniline võimekus üllatas Zapadil
(ERR)
"Kaitseväe luurekeskuse ülem kolonel Kaupo Rosin ütles intervjuus väljaandele Defence News, et Venemaa jõudemonstratsioon elektroonilise sõjapidamise võimekuses Zapadi suurõppuse ajal üllatas teda."
—


- Interview: Col. Kaupo Rosin, Estonia’s military intelligence chief
(Defense News)
"The amount of [electronic warfare] jamming of their own troops surprised me. It was at a level we haven’t seen. And they did it in the different branches, so land force, Air Force. That definitely surprised us. The threat of the Russians is that if they are jammed, they can fall back into a civilian infrastructure on their own land, which gives them an advantage in operating in the vicinity of Russia. So, they have that advantage. They tested their own troops …"

- Kodumaal kriitika alla sattunud Hollandi eksperdid kinnitavad uuesti: Balti riikide kaitse on ebapiisav
(Delfi)

- Tulevased õhutõrjujad lasid esimest korda õhutõrjekahurit ZU 23-2
(ERR)

- Kaks protsenti ei saa olla kaitsekulutuste lagi, vaid pigem alguspunkt
(Postimees)



- Tallinna Lennujaam ühendab bussipeatusega 53-meetrine galerii
(ERR)
"Alates 1. detsembrist on reisijatele avatud Tallinna lennujaama reisiterminali ja ühistranspordikeskust ühendav galeriikäik, samuti on muutunud ka ühistranspordiskeem lennujaama lähiümbruses."
—






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Thursday 30. 
November
_____________



✔︎ For 65 years, young campers have been exploring their Estonian identity and culture in Canada
By Kristen Dobbin
(Washington Post)
"Jõekääru (“Riverbend”) kids camp was established an hour north of Toronto in the early 1950s, as a wave of Estonian refugees arrived in Canada, escaping the Soviet occupation of their country. Jõekääru was one of the places in exile where they could ensure that their culture and language lived on through their children’s generation."



- Leaders to avoid Estonian asylum plan at EU summit
(EU Observer)
"An Estonian proposal to break the deadlock on a key migration reform will not be discussed at the upcoming EU summit. … a plan that aims to resolve the distribution of asylum seekers among EU states as part of a solution to the ongoing 'Dublin' reform impasse. The so-called Dublin rule determines who is responsible for processing asylum claims and allows national authorities to send people back to the EU member state where they first entered.”
—
"The Estonians say their plan is different because it places bigger emphasis on prevention, in terms of being able to mitigate any sudden large inflows of asylum seekers and refugees."



- Tallinn Robotex: Afghan Girls’ Robotics Team Overcomes Setbacks to Win 
(New York Times)
"The teenagers, who hail from the western city of Herat, took the Entrepreneurial Challenge at the Robotex festival, which was held in Tallinn, Estonia, on Nov. 24 through 26 … they edged out a team from Poland, which took second place in the entrepreneur award, and the Estonian team, which came in third."

- Robotex
"Robotex is Europe’s biggest robotics festival, which is organised in cooperation with Tallinn University of Technology and University of Tartu."



- Europe's Readiness Problem
(Foreign Affairs)
“… there is no strict definition of readiness. Instead, readiness is a competition, with a country or alliance being measured against its competitor’s level of readiness. In practice, that means that NATO has to match Russia. And in the past several years, Russia has put enormous effort into increasing the readiness of its forces. … Readiness also means having troops positioned close to where they would most likely be needed. For NATO, the dilemma is that by permanently positioning troops in, say, Latvia, it would risk further escalating tensions with Russia."



- Estonian film is 'right on the threshold’
(Screen Daily)
"A concerted attempt is underway both from public and private sources to make Estonia an international filmmaking hub."


- Stealing is an Obsession in Rainer Sarnet’s movie ‘NOVEMBER'
(Quiet Earth)
"November is based on the Estonian novel "Rehepapp" by Andrus Kivirähk, a bestseller of the last twenty years. The story is set in a pagan Estonian village where werewolves, the plague, and spirits roam."




_____________

Wednesday 29. 
November
_____________



* Cyber Coalition 2017 exercise *


- Tartu: Cyber Coalition exercise is the biggest held by NATO
(NATO press release | ERR | ZdNet)

"The Cyber Coalition cyberwar game involves more than 700 people across 25 NATO member states, plus NATO allies, the European Union, industry, and academia."
--
—


- NATO mulls 'offensive defence' with cyber warfare rules
(Reuters)
"Estonia, which was hit by one of the world’s first large-scale cyber attacks a decade ago, aims to open a cyber command next year and make it fully operational by 2020, with offensive cyber weapons."

- On The Hybrid Front Lines
(RFERL)
“… Estonians are leading the way."
and:

- The infowar skills gap
(CEPA)

- Maailmakuulus häkker Ralph Echemendia elab Tallinnas 
(Delfi)

- Ralph Echemendia is a world-renowned cyber security expert now living in Tallinn
(The Ethical Hacker)

- Seguru - Tallinn



- Citizen of the Year Rasmus Rask wants Estonian citizenship for all stateless persons
(ERR)
"It seems to me that in modern Estonia, it is a totally pointless burden from Soviet Estonia or the Soviet Union that we continue to carry with us."



- Madalad palgad liikusid Kagu-Eestist saartele
(ERR)
"Viimase kümne aasta lõikes on Eesti madalaimad palgad olnud pigem Kagu-Eestis ja Jõgevamaal. Viimastel aastatel on maakondade lõikes madalamad palgad ka suursaartel, sel aastal on esimest korda madalaim kuupalk saarlastel, kellele järgnevad hiidlased."



- Podcast Interview: Ambassador Kurt Volker
By Susan B. Glasser
(Global Politico Podcast)
[At approx. 32:20 minutes into the interview  - “… I do think that knowing that if (Russia) were to do something in one of the Baltic states would result in a multi-national response from Europe and the United States. On that, (it) is a deterent. … The facts of where we are now is that Russia believes that we have demonstrated our willingness to respond, and so it’s not worth it.”



Tillerson emphasizes ‘ironclad’ commitment to NATO ahead of Europe trip
(RFERL)
"What I've said to the Russians is - we are never going to get [the U.S.-Russian] relationship back to normal until we solve Ukraine. It just sits there as an enduring obstacle and we've got to address it.” - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

- Tillerson enne reisi Euroopasse: USA pühendumine NATO-le on kaljukindel
(ERR)




_____________

Tuesday 28. 
November
_____________



- Metsakalmistul avati hauamärk üheksale kadunud riigivanemale
(ERR)
"President Konstantin Pätsi rahula kõrvale rajatud kenotaafi ehk hauatähise saavad Friedrich Karl Akel, Ado Birk, Kaarel Eenpalu, Jüri Jaakson, Juhan Kukk, Heinrich Mark, Ants Piip, Jaan Teemant ja Jaan Tõnisson."

- Gravestone for nine lost state leaders unveiled at Forest Cemetery



- Kellakeeramise lõpp? EL hakkab järgmisel nädalal arutama Soome ettepanekut
(ERR)
[Finland hopes that the EU will abandon the semi-annual changing of the clocks.]



- Eesti vanim elanik tähistas 107. sünnipäeva
(Lõuna Leht)
"Laupäeval sai Eesti vanim elanik, Võru linnas elav Maria Kolk 107-aastaseks."



- Panel urges NATO to step up dialogue with China
(Politico-Europe)
"NATO must adapt for futuristic warfare and seek partnerships with emerging powers, especially China, if the alliance hopes to respond to renewed threats from Russia and a fast-changing security landscape … NATO needs to take note of the enormity of China’s influence."





_____________

Monday 27. 
November
_____________


- Baltic Sea: Toxic glowing organism poses new threat
(Yle)
"The algae Alexandrium ostenfeldii – known as merituli ('sea-fire') in Finnish – often glows blue, a phenomenon known as the milky seas effect or mareel."



- NATO Secretary General praises Estonia’s strong commitment to NATO
(NATO press release)
"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid to NATO Headquarters … The two leaders met to discuss NATO’s continuing adaptation to the security situation in Europe."



- Finnish Defence Forces’ main exercise focuses on defending Helsinki
(Finnish Defense Forces press release)
"The Defence Forces’ main exercise Uusimaa will be held in southern Finland from 27 November to 4 December 2017."





_____________

Sunday 26. 
November
_____________



- Eurorahadele ehitatud Eesti – tugev vundament tulevikuks?
(ERR)
"Kui palju me tegelikult tajume, kuhu on Euroopa Liidust saadud miljardeid eurosid* paigutatud? Mis saab, kui toetused peaks vähenema?"



- Russian Archives Show What Moscow Denies: Red Army Entered Eastern Europe as an Occupier
by Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
[#15 from 'Baker’s Double Dozen of Neglected Russian Stories’.]
--
"A new archivally based study shows that the Red Army went into Eastern Europe as an occupier and not just as a liberator as Moscow invariably insists (versia.ru/osobye-pogranichnye-batalony-byli-sozdany-dlya-sovetizacii-evropy), and one Duma deputy even acknowledged that the Soviet Union “occupied” part of Finland (regnum.ru/news/2343442.html)."



- These Baltic Militias Are Readying For War With Russia
(The Atlantic)



- How NATO Endures in the Twenty-First Century
(Modern War Institute)
or



- Army Looks To Replace $6 Billion Battlefield Network After Finding It Vulnerable
(Foreign Policy)
"The U.S. Army has concluded that its $6 billion battlefield communications system would likely be breached by Russia or China in the event of a big-power conflict, rendering it all but useless against sophisticated foes.”
—
"The system has little protection against electronic countermeasures, and it is bulky and takes two days to set up, requiring large command tents bristling with servers and antennae. Defense officials fear those command posts will act as a beacon, attracting attacks from sophisticated enemies."

- Digitizing military will cost Europe up to €41 billion per year
(Politico-Europe)


- Finnish Historians: Former finnish foreign minister an operative of Russian intelligence
(UpNorth)





_____________

Russia | Putin
“Trust No One"
_____________


- Why Russian Oligarchs Remain Loyal to Putin
(The Moscow Times)
"The answer lies in Russia’s adept use of carrots and sticks to bind the oligarchs more closely to the regime. The Putin administration has spent lavishly to convince the heads of the business community that it is the only game in town: a popular, competent, but also merciless government that faces no real alternatives to its hold on power."
--
"However, this co-optation strategy carries a unique set of risks …"



- Disney opens first toy store in the center of Moscow
(Reuters | TASS)
[It’s a small world after all …]
—

- Interestingly, 'Disney Channel Russia’ has been on the air since 2010 




- Britain’s MI6 lays bare the growing Russian threat
by Edward Lucas
(The Times - Uk)
“… Alex Younger, the head of MI6, told Nato ambassadors that the Kremlin “exemplified” the modern threats faced by this country and its allies. Russia’s aim was to divide the West, sowing uncertainty and ambiguity. Familiar boundaries had become blurred: between words and deeds, between the electronic and kinetic worlds, between domestic and international threats — and even between peace and war. In particular, the old model of conflict, in which warfare was 80 per cent force and 20 per cent information, is now the other way round."



- Putin’s New Militarist Rhetoric Reflects His Domestic Political Problems Rather than Foreign Agenda
By Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
“… Putin’s talk about military threats and the need for the Russian economy to go on a war footing has more to do with his domestic political problems than with any real plans by the Kremlin leader to put Moscow on course toward a third world war …"



- Opinion: Putin’s Strategy of Global Tension
(The Observer)
"Putin seeks to expand Russian power on the cheap while causing problems for America and our allies wherever he can - without direct military confrontation. So far, the Kremlin seems to be playing its rather poor hand well at the tables of global power, and Putin’s strategy of tension shows no signs of abating. Although the Trump White House is paying no attention to this new reality, the Pentagon and our Intelligence Community certainly are."




- Iskanderid tulekul? Kaliningradi paigutatakse uued Vene raketikompleksid
(Postimees)
"Kaliningradi oblastis on nüüd valminud taristu, mis võimaldab sinna paigutada Venemaa relvajõudude uued raketikompleksid, teatas Balti laevastiku pressiteenistus."



- A Mafia State Within a Totalitarian Society
(The Atlantic)
"Putin is not the Bond villain mastermind of global chaos."



- What Putin Isn’t Learning From His Role Model, Czar Alexander III
(World Affairs Journal)



- Torture for Foreign Correspondents in Russia
(Foreign Policy)
"This is largely because, contrary to common belief, it has been a long time since foreign journalists have been able to cultivate, gain, or develop Kremlin sources. … And if we experienced any success at doing so now, we wouldn’t be here for much longer."
--
"Our work is closely monitored by the Russian government; it is no secret that our communications are tapped. We abide by an unwritten rulebook of self-censorship. Straying can and has meant ejection.”
—
"The most journalists can do is sift through the same set of meager clues offered by state-run media about policymakers’ views."



- Kremlin Turning Belarus Into Bridgehead for Anti-Ukrainian Provocations
(Jamestown Org.)
"The Kremlin now regularly uses its ally to launch various anti-Ukrainian provocations, and the frequency of such operations can only be expected to increase in the future. Moreover, the use of Belarusian territory for Russia’s provocations against citizens of the West - journalists, human rights activists, diplomats, etc. - could be possible as well." 



- Russia casts shadow over EU’s eastern summit
(Politico-Europe)
"There wasn’t one mention of Russia in the official declaration approved on Friday by EU leaders and the six former Soviet republics that form the so-called Eastern Partnership. But the shadow cast by the Kremlin over the summit was impossible to ignore, as was the EU’s uncertainty over what to do about it."
--
"German Chancellor Angela Merkel used the occasion to run through a list of conflicts, hostilities and other tensions experienced by the six eastern partners - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine - and remind her fellow leaders that in each case Russia was responsible, according to officials who attended the summit."

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