For nearly two decades, I’ve followed the evolution of Estonian news, witnessing firsthand the decline in quality that parallels the shift towards chasing clicks and audience numbers. As the media landscape changes, so too does the nature of news—often at the expense of depth and serious reporting. The decline of print newspapers may be inevitable, but the real concern lies in the gradual erosion of the media’s essential role in informing and educating the public....
Estonia’s recent political landscape has been marked by growing discontent and increasing frustration with the government’s inability to address pressing economic and social issues. Once lauded for its rapid post-Soviet transformation, the country now seems mired in a stagnant, ideologically driven political system disconnected from the realities faced by its citizens. As the economy shifts and the global landscape changes, Estonia finds itself at a crossroads, struggling to reconcile outdated economic policies with the needs...
American minimalist composer Steve Reich’s “Music for Ensemble and Orchestra” (2018) had its maiden performance in Estonia, played by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO) Friday night. Another new Reich offering, “Reich/Richter” (2019), also got its debut in Estonia.
In an era of undeniable evidence of global warming, the green movement in Estonia has gotten nowhere in terms of seats in the parliament as it seems to be too busy challenging the Rail Baltic project and unable to effectively participate in the broader political debate.
The main issue in this crisis isn’t one of trust, but the fact that the Helmes have finally exposed themselves as scheming, clueless schoolyard bullies. Letting father and son stay on means that Prime Minister Jüri Ratas is ready to compromise even on principal matters of decency and conduct to keep his government together, which doesn’t bode well for the coming months.
What is tangible at the 2019 Opinion Festival in Paide is the new trinity of Estonian public debate that has crystallized in recent years, with a progressive, open-society focus on one end, a very solid technocratic middle, and an almost isolationist, hard-line national conservative focus on the other.
Negotiations of the withdrawal of all Soviet and later Russian troops left in Estonia began immediately after the latter regained its independence in 1991. After a lot of stalling on the Russian side, an agreement was finally reached by Presidents Meri and Yeltsin 25 years ago on Friday.
While Estonia’s largest bookstore chains decided that they won’t carry a new Estonian translation of Mein Kampf, there has been little and thus far only very superficial discussion of the topic in local media. Considering the current political and social situation as well as how Estonia has dealt with its own complicated history in the past, this is worrying.
The Netherlands is building new coalitions within the EU to compensate for the loss of the UK as the union’s main free trade champion, and has found partners in the Baltic states. At the same time, a domestic policy issue involving gas supplies and the Dutch stance on Russia have the potential to put what has been dubbed the New Hanseatic League to the test.
While NATO is working to establish a “credible deterrent” on its eastern flank, swift and large-scale allied troop movements across Europe currently aren’t possible. The infrastructure as well as the planning capacity of the Cold War is largely gone and now needs to be rebuilt step by step, an overview presented at the Dutch Ministry of Defence showed.
