tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13406351.post3522218252190492064..comments2023-11-05T09:55:13.077+02:00Comments on Itching for Eestimaa: stuff i am readingGiustinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04756707910693785516noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13406351.post-71920680734649653962009-03-12T22:45:00.000+02:002009-03-12T22:45:00.000+02:00I also think the general knowledge of the average ...I also think the general knowledge of the average citizen of a country is not what defines such political interests -- there's history between Sweden and Estonia, it's in the books, those in power can look at it. Old ties can be renewed, albeit via Swedish banks instead of Swedish armies.<BR/><BR/>Do Estonians in general look up to Swedes? Or do they have mixed feelings about them (as seems to be the case with respect to their Finno-Ugric brethren, the Finns?)Lingüistahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327147408198046253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13406351.post-15409133613800319842009-03-04T14:53:00.000+02:002009-03-04T14:53:00.000+02:00Well, Austria-Hungary fell apart less than 100 yea...Well, Austria-Hungary fell apart less than 100 years ago. And that was a multinational state with a very long history.<BR/><BR/>As for the Swedes in Estonia, your average Swede probably doesn't know much, but I think the elite are quite familiar with the history. As Dag Hartelius put it, "Estonia is one of the few countries in the world where you feel that Sweden actually counts."Giustinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04756707910693785516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13406351.post-62330020697965517062009-03-04T10:28:00.000+02:002009-03-04T10:28:00.000+02:00"History, culture and sheer familiarity gave the S..."History, culture and sheer familiarity gave the Swedes and Austrians the special ability to see business opportunities in there old territories..."<BR/><BR/>I wouldn't know about Austro-Slovenian relations, but the Swedes in general have rather vague knowlege of their "formr Baltic colonies". Estonia is usually seen as an "Eastern country" with all the stereotypical Post-Soviet trappings that come with it.Rainerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11160091690005391250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13406351.post-48863147636900189582009-03-04T10:05:00.000+02:002009-03-04T10:05:00.000+02:00Some of the reasons that the colonial powers were ...Some of the reasons that the colonial powers were interested in these places still exist--location and resources, etc--but this probably does not explain very much of the world today.<BR/><BR/>Hayek placed a lot of emphasis on local knowledge-- what people had a particular familiarity with and interest in-- when he posed his famous the about the "calculation problem" in economic decision making.<BR/><BR/>History, culture and sheer familiarity gave the Swedes and Austrians the special ability to see business opportunities in there old territories, and the better chance to get them realized. How many Japanese investors had a clue about Estonia or Slovenia, their languages or what they could be successful doing?Jim Hasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09827035709880926814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13406351.post-66533699760436416182009-03-04T06:58:00.000+02:002009-03-04T06:58:00.000+02:00Sweden and Austria, have invested heavily in their...<I>Sweden and Austria, have invested heavily in their former imperial possessions (Estonia, Latvia, Hungary, Slovenia) but nobody ever seems to point this out</I><BR/><BR/>That's probably because it's been a few centuries since these countries were imperial powers, and now they're so nice and cuddly that no one suspects them of any evil take-over bids.<BR/><BR/>Sure, if it was someone who had recently occupied territories and repressed the rights of the native peoples, we would probably be looking at them more warily, but the most recent thing these countries have done is given us things to buy of dubious artistic merit. Who could suspect them of anything?Sharonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12383128449697415608noreply@blogger.com