Relationships

Reading the English-language news on Estonia is often reading the Russian news on Estonia, or reading the Estonian news' response to the Russian news on Estonia. Like the neverending Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Estonian-Russian relations are like a Rubik's Cube that can never be 'solved.'

But why waste so much energy on that relationship with diminishing returns? Toomas Hendrik Ilves speech at CSIS last week was refreshing in that it did not delve into hot, sexy Estonian-Russian relations. Rather it focused on European integration issues, less sexy, but ultimately more important for Estonia. He didn't give the crowd what it 'wanted', but rather what it 'needed.' He served them meat and potatoes, not junk food.

I think that ultimately this is the correct stance towards Russia, because beyond historical memories there is not a particularly strong need to think about Russia or engage with Russia in Estonia. When it comes to economics, the environment, labor issues, cultural participation, defense -- most great issues confronting Estonia today call for greater cooperation with the West, not the East.

At this juncture one has to wonder what Estonia's relationships are like with other key countries in Europe and abroad. How are things going in the UK, Germany, and France? How is the Estonian relationship with the Scandinavians developing? And finally, what about Estonia's role in its neighboring countries: Finland and Latvia?

First the UK. The UK is a pivotal voice on the world stage. They count, especially in Europe. Estonian-British relations are good, but they could be better. The visit of the Queen last autumn was a great sign of bilateral relations. To the shame of Slovenians, preeminent journalist Edward Lucas writes about Estonia on a regular basis, going so far as to call Ilves and Putin the two most distinguishable leaders in former communist Europe. Yet at the same time, the British press was out of the loop during the Bronze Soldier mess in April.

What Estonia needs in the UK is an NGO that can represent Estonia's viewpoint through non-political channels. An organization that can draw on local talent to get Estonia's viewpoint across to the paid wild animals of the British media. In that light, what Estonia needs is a more aggressive, wheeling and dealing Estonian Institute in London. Estonia has similar institutes in Hungary, France, Finland, and Sweden. This can also operate as a cultural organ that can keep British-Estonians connected, which in turn will strengthen the ability of the communicate their interests.

The next country is France. France is a great country for Estonia to cuddle up to because a) they desire to be powerful, especially in a unified Europe; b) they are another jilted world power passed over by the Anglophones, they have a historically cozy relationship with Moscow; c) they have a new president of Hungarian descent who will feel your pain.

Rather relying on the US as a "big power" to 'protect' them from Russian insanity, it might make sense to build a multipolar collection of big friends. France must be one of them. The key here is language. France already hosts an Estonian Institute, but to what extent does it facilitate generated coverage in French language media about Estonia? Furthermore, I think the French leadership would appreciate a good wooing. We all saw how Ilves' visit to Tbilisi progressed; it was all wine, more wine, sunsets, hand holding, and more wine. Why not give Sarkozy a moment like that in Kuressaare?

Then there's Germany. German-Estonian relations are good, but as Jens-Olaf points out, the media representation of Estonia in Germany is dominated by lazy journalists who read Russian-generated press releases and translate them.

The Estonian treatment of World War II: we were a small, neutral country, victimized by large rapist powers, might turn some heads in Germany, where the Red Army is still remembered for its ability to organize mass sexual abuse of local women as well as its skill in defeating the Nazi government. But this is a country where if you say, 'hey, that bombing of Dresden was a little intense' you are labeled a rightwing Nazi sympathizer; so don't try to tickle the Germans here.

Where Germans might react favorably to Estonia is if Estonia is able to accomplish what the historically closer-to-Moscow parties (Social Democrats, Greens) have been unable to accomplish in their countries. The 'small progressive northern country' meme might have extra impact here. I am thinking in terms of alternative energy -- biofuel usage, wind farms: stuff the German left has been clamoring for and hopes everyone will adopt. If Estonia is able to win friends on that side of the equation, while continuing to court the rightwing with its taxation policies, Estonia will be seen as "good" in both eyes of Germany.

To do that, there needs to be, as I have said, a greater NGO-like presence in Berlin that can coordinate stories and engage local media. Remember to throw in the Teutonic knights and Baltic Germans for some measure. People thrive on memories of their glorious past.

The Scandinavians. When dealing with the Scandies remember two conflicting things: 1) they think that their society is the greatest in the world and they are the smartest, hottest, greatest people in the world 2) they are restrained and value modesty, even while drunk.

My experience is that Estonians are the same on no. 1, but diverge at no. 2. Some things that would turn Scandinavian heads would be: a gay pride parade that goes of peacefully with the ok of local government. We've already seen Ansip with a yamaka on his head, could Ansip in drag be far behind? This would assure Scandies that their values are indeed the best and in turn separate Estonia from those louts in Moscow and Riga. And I actually agree with it, which makes it even more compelling.

Hyping both the progressive energy policies and Internet everything (government, commerce, social life) would also do favors for the image of Estonia among reformed Vikings because they also think the idea of downloading softcore pornography in a sauna while doing your taxes is a splendid way to live. The message should be: 'we have so much in common, Sven' and 'please, send us our own Ikea.' -- another one I agree with, by the way.

Now for those reindeer. I think that Estonian-Finnish relations are great. Other than the fact that every other new story about Estonians in Finland is related to doing something illegal.

What I suggest is, rather than feeding the Finnish press stories about good things Estonians are doing (which nobody will ever publish), it is time to feed them stories about bad things Finns are doing in Estonia, and the good things Estonia's boyscout-like bureaucracy is doing to stop them.

Finns are the kind of people who pay taxes even when they don't have to out of collective social guilt. This kind of approach towards relationship building will strengthen bureaucratic ties -- between Tallinn-Helsinki police forces, for example. This relationship exists, but perhaps does not receive that much attention, as both sides are known to utter just a few words per day.

As a sidenote, more could be done to facilitate Tallinn-Helsinki business interaction. I am thinking about more regional seminars (it's not that hard to take businesspeople on a day trip to Tallinn for part of a business conference), and, interestingly, funding more opportunities for people to learn Finnish in Estonia and Estonian in Finland so that the many people that do switch jobs have an easier time doing so. An IT guy that wants to move south should find the move encouraging and vice versa.

Another country that deserves to learn a little Estonian is Latvia. The Latvian relationship is so mired in history, especially historical suffering, that it is hard to know how to go forward without crying and patting each other on the back.

I think one way to do that would be to facilitate learning of Latvian and Estonian in both countries. Estonia's Latvian knowledge boils down to the word for ice cream. Couldn't they learn a few phrases as well? Would it be helpful in school if, rather than learning one language for several years, you could take a class where they taught you some regional languages -- a few weeks of Finnish, a few weeks of Latvian, etc. The problem, as I see it, is that interaction is slowed by the language issue. It would raise awareness for each others' existence.

Latvia also has a new president that few know anything about. People are worried that he is just a place holder while Latvia's real leaders pull strings behind the scenes. Latvian politics are too ... Latvian for Estonians to figure them out. They need not to. Rather, Estonians should continuously hold out their hand, especially to President Zatlers as he learns his office. Ilves is a more experienced politician. There are many opportunities here to earn Latvian gratitude.