Opinion

Five years ago, a survey conducted among 2000 citizens by WCIOM, a Russian public opinion polling centre, offered results that could well be authentic. Since the subject matter was apolitical, respondents’ answers could be considered as genuine. The five most prevalent conspiracy theories in 2018, in reverse order by the...

In an interview on French TV, China’s ambassador to France said that former Soviet (occupied, ed.) countries have no effective status in international law. European governments reacted swiftly, condemning the remarks. Numerous EU politicians called on France to expel Lu Shaye, the author of the “unacceptable and outrageous” statement. In...

Karl Altau, JBANC Finland has good reason to be the Happiest Country in the World. On April 4, 2023, the Republic of Finland formally became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), joining 30 other members in what was the fastest accession process in the alliance's history. Without...

Laas Leivat, Eesti Elu The 24th of February is a milestone in the history of both Estonia and Ukraine. On this date Estonians mark the birth of a nation. Volodymyr Zelensky named the same day a “rebirth” of his nation. “A new nation was born at four in the morning....

Some 86,000 individuals in the Estonian diaspora are qualified to vote in Estonia’s March 2023 parliamentary elections. Casting ballots abroad is scheduled for February. It was reported that in the 2019 elections, out of 77, 881 who were qualified to vote, only 2016 actually cast their ballots (by mail or...

This article appeared in the "Üleilmse eestluse" / "Global Estonian" November 2022 newsletter in both Estonian and English(www.globalestonian.com) Riina Kindlam There used to be an unwritten rule in Estonian communities abroad that CHILDREN, ANIMALS and ELDERS were always spoken to in Estonian. Slightly older children immediately picked up on how...

I was in Nassau, Bahamas, in 1954 on the charter schooner "Caribee", when Queen Elizabeth, on the Royal Yacht Brittania, was visiting the British Empire, which was vast. We were told in social studies that "The sun never sets on the British Empire", as Britain had holdings in every arc...

It’s perhaps one of the questions most often posed recently. At the time of this writing, Ukrainian forces were making significant gains in the eastern Russian-occupied areas. In fact, a sense of an inevitable Ukrainian victory was palpable. Putin’s bound to retaliate. But will an end to the conflict, which...

The uncouth treatment that New York tennis fans gave Anett Kontaveit at the Arthur Ashe stadium on August 31 is not only unforgivable but nothing less than arrogant. I watched the entire match on Eurosport live and was shocked that a crowd of 30+ thousand was able to stay as...

It’s no longer news, but it still deserves attention. By mid-April, Estonia had donated proportionally more military aid to Ukraine than any other nation – including the USA and the U.K. Yet, the war is far from being wrapped up. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Estonia...