Intervjuu: Endine USA suursaadik Eestis James D. Melville
(Eesti Päevaleht)
“Ühed protestivad, teised rüüstavad ja Trump käristab ühiskonda.”
Monday evening, 1. June, without warning, heavily armed US federal troops beat a stunned crowd of peaceful protesters with batons, fired smoke grenades, rubber bullets, and chemical irritants, all to make way for a Presidential ‘photo op’ just outside the White House.
Is the US sliding into illiberalism? Wherever it springs up, illiberalism assumes a familiar form: more corruption, greater restrictions on assembly and speech, constraints on the press, retribution against political opponents, oppression of minorities. Will it affect foreign policy, especially with the Baltics?
News from Estonia follows.
__________
US Presidential Tactics Pose Grave Threat to America's Democracy
(Chatham House)
“The president’s tweets and strong-arm tactics alongside images of violence on the streets of America has shocked international audiences and unsettled what remains of America’s symbolic power on the global stage.”
- “U.S. Allies Look on in Dismay.” - Foreign Policy
- “Foreign Policy By Example.” - Foreign Affairs
- “The slide of the United States into illiberalism may well have begun on June 1, 2020. Remember the date.” - Foreign Policy
 |
| Photograph by Leigh Green / Alamy |
- “Police Violence Against Journalists: 'I’m getting shot’.” - The Guardian
- “Visualizing Police Violence Against Journalists At Protests Across The U.S.” - 140 incidents involving at least 157 journalists
 |
| NBC News Poll | 7. June 2020 | Screenshot by EstoNews |
- “In the 72 hours since Monday’s melee at Lafayette Square, the White House has been transformed into a veritable fortress.” - The Washington Post
- “Former US Marine General James Mattis Denounces Trump, Describes Him as a Threat to the US Constitution.” - The Atlantic
- “A list of the current and former military leaders blasting Trump’s response to nationwide protests.” - Task & Purpose
- “Is this an authoritarian crackdown by Donald Trump or just another politicized spectacle?” - The New Yorker
- “American Carnage at Lafayette Square.” - YouTube (Opinion)
- “Trump Gave Police Permission to Be Brutal.” - The Atlantic
- “Opinion: There is no such thing as rock bottom. So, assume that the worst is yet to come.” - George Will, Washington Post
- “Mattis, Esper oppose use of active duty military to fight unrest.” - Christian Science Monitor
- “The arrest and detention of thousands nationwide is heightening the risk of coronavirus spread.” - Politico
- “Russian Newspaper Coverage of the US Time of Troubles.” - In Moscow’s Shadows
__________
Friday 5. June
__________
Tumedanahaline eesti tüdruk: loodan, et tuleb päev, kui saan minna bussi ja inimesed ei tee suuri silmi
(Elu24)
“USA politseivägivalla- ja rassismivastased meeleavaldused on pannud ka eestlased rassismist rääkima. 19-aastane Tallinna tüdruk Anette jagas oma kogemust tumedanahalise eestlasena.”
- “In Europe, we also can’t breathe.” - Politico-Europe
- “Russians Watch the American Protests as Clouds Gather at Home.” - The Moscow Times
- “Europe must step up anti-racism efforts.” - Deutsche Welle
Intervjuu: Endine USA suursaadik Eestis James D. Melville
(Eesti Päevaleht)
“Ühed protestivad, teised rüüstavad ja Trump käristab ühiskonda.”
Helme: Eesti soovib Euroopa Liidu välispiiri hoida lukus juuni lõpuni
(Postimees)
“Siseminister Mart Helme (EKRE) osales Euroopa Liidu (EL) justiits- ja siseküsimuste nõukogu mitteametlikul videokohtumisel, kus ütles oma kolleegidele, et Eesti pole valmis oma välispiiri avama 15. juunist.“
- “Mis Euroopa riikidest Eestisse tulles peab karantiini jääma? Välisministeerium jagab uut infot.” - Delfi
Estonia in favor of stronger protection of EU citizens against extradition to third countries
(Baltic Times)
“… a person who committed a crime should not go unpunished, but it is important for us that Estonian citizens are not extradited lightly and are not treated inhumanely in a third country. To this end, it is necessary to receive operative information when an Estonian citizen is requested to be extradited from another EU country …”
Improving Crisis Response Logistics and NATO’s Strategic Deterrent
by Trevor C. Howe, Elliott School of International Affairs
“Estonia, having consistently expressed a profound suspicion of Russian foreign activities, should use its host status of this summit to attract American attention and funding to initiatives that will strengthen transatlantic ties. Three initiatives in particular – Rail Baltica, Via Baltica, and the Integration and Synchronisation of the Baltic States’ Electricity Systems – will help protect Baltic security …”
Baltic Security: The Same Challenges Remain, Even During a Pandemic
by Linas Kojala, Foreign Policy Research Institute
“Up to this point, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia proved to be rather successful in tackling the pandemic. … Fighting disinformation attacks remains a crucial aspect of Baltic security.”
Prices fell more in Estonia in May than in any other country in the EU
(Marketscreener)
__________
Thursday 4. June
__________
Sotsiaaltöötajad lasid päranduseks saadud metsa linnurahu ajal maha võtta
Ülle Harju, Postimees
“Sotsiaaltöötajad said üksikult vanurilt päranduseks metsa populaarses järveäärses puhkekohas ja lasid selle kohalike nördimuseks lindude pesitsusajal lagedaks raiuda.”
- “Estonian biologists map biodiversity to break the silence.” - Estonian World
- “Estonian AI-powered forest management start-up heads for Costa Rica.” - Emerging Europe
Punitive Psychiatry Returns to Russia with a Vengeance
by Paul Goble
“Fifty years ago, the international community rose almost as one to denounce the Soviet practice of confining dissidents in psychiatric hospitals and treating them with mind-altering drugs, a practice Soviet doctors and officials justified by saying they were curing what they called “sluggish schizophrenia.”
—
“Now, Russian officials are following the same path, but there are two major differences: There hasn’t been an upsurge of international condemnation, and the authorities now are doing this without any attempt at denial.”
Trump’s relationship with Europe goes from bad to nothingness
by David M. Herszenhorn, Politico
“At the start of his presidency, Donald Trump regarded Europe as an afterthought. Now, there seems little left to the relationship but a bitter aftertaste for EU leaders who spent three years trying and failing to coax and cajole the combustible American into buying into the Western alliance.”
Striking at the Heart of the Trans-Atlantic Bargain
(Spiegel)
“A leading German politician has proposed ridding Germany of American nuclear weapons. Two advisers to U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden argue that doing so would significantly weaken NATO and Germany.”
Putin Regime Plays Up Clashes in US
by Paul Goble
“Just like their Soviet predecessors, the current rulers of Russia play up the clashes in the West to suggest that such things can’t happen in Russia; but unlike the Soviets, Sergey Shelin says, the current Kremlin does so for another reason as well: to offer “new evidence for their obsessive fears and repressive inclinations.”
__________
Wednesday 3. June
__________
Intervjuu: President Kaljulaid
(Postimees)
“Eriolukord kestis Eestis 66 päeva. Hingame nüüd juba kolmandat nädalat sisse piirangutest vabanevat õhku. President Kersti Kaljulaid (50) vaatab tagasi erakordsele ajale töö juures, Kadriorus. Tema hinnangul ei loonud kriis uusi trende, vaid tõi ennegi olemas olnu teravamalt esile.”
Welcome to a World of Bubbles
(Foreign Policy)
“The collapse of global travel is unprecedented. About half of the world’s flights have been grounded, and passenger travel has declined by 95 percent. … Against this backdrop of severe economic losses, the idea of travel bubbles sounds particularly attractive. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia launched the first such arrangement in May, allowing free movement for citizens of the three EU member states, at a time when travel within the larger bloc remains restricted.”
- “Estonia targets Finnish families for driving holidays as borders open.” - News Now Finland
Labor shortages replaced by job shortages
(ERR)
“Bank of Estonia economist Orsolya Soosaar said on Wednesday the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus replaced labor shortages with job shortages. However, the lifting of restrictions gives hope to the recovery of the service sector.”
Estonia, the Reluctant Borrower, Goes Big on Virus
Ott Ummelas, Bloomberg
“The Covid-19 pandemic is changing that, with a 10-year debt sale of at least 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) due in the coming weeks. Another of a similar size is planned for the fall and a third is possible next year, with maturities of up to 15 years under discussion …”
Belarus’s Relations With the Baltic States
(Jamestown Org.)
“Lithuania and Latvia implement sharply divergent policies toward Belarus. While Riga has chosen a pragmatic approach and tends not to focus on issues sensitive for Minsk, Vilnius often prioritizes a contentious political agenda, such as demanding an end to the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant at Astravets. The latter has led to serious political frictions between the two countries and created a deadlock in Belarusian negotiations with the European Union regarding partnership priorities as Lithuania blocks further efforts. Belarus’s relations with Estonia, compared to the two other Baltic states, remain far less intensive.”
Information Warfare: The Perils And Protections
(Strategy Page)
“… in late 2015, a large part of western Ukraine suffered a power blackout. Some 1.4 million homes and businesses went dark for several hours because of a computer virus (BlackEnergy) believed to be Russian …”
—
“The forerunner of this Ukraine attack hit tiny Estonia (population 1.3 million) as early as 2007. … Despite its small size Estonia is the most technically advanced (on a per-capita basis) nation in East Europe and was able to recruit several hundred skilled volunteers who are hard at work pooling their knowledge and skills to better handle more Cyber War aggression from Russia.”
Sweden’s COVID Death Rate Now Ten Times Higher than Norway’s
(National Review)
“There have now been ten times as many COVID-19 deaths in Sweden than Norway on a per capita basis. … 435 out of every one million Swedes have died from the virus, while the virus has killed 44 out of every million Norwegians.”
__________
_______
____
