New Frontiers: Estonia’s Foreign Policy in Africa
Estonia’s renewed foreign policy engagement in Africa holds a historical foundation proving that the country’s approach to diplomacy is a gradual development and a work in progress.
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Estonia
Allies Help Those Who Help Themselves: How Estonia and Japan Approach Deterrence
Up until the blatant act of Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2022, the West had been gradually shifting its attention towards East Asia, with China seen as the primary challenge of the first half of the 21st century. The new context requires a thorough reassessment of international security architecture by all national stakeholders. This, in turn, offers Estonia and Japan the opportunity to enrich their security perspectives on common strategic threats, as well as on broader geopolitical shifts caused by Russia and China.
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The Signal of Deterrence and Reassurance
It is not for the U.S. or other outsiders to define what constitutes a victory for Ukraine or the end of the war for Ukraine. The terms will be set by Ukraine, finds US Ambassador George P. Kent in an interview to Diplomaatia.
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The Glass of Societal Resilience – Half Empty or Half Full? Perceptions of Socio-Economic Threats and Wellbeing in Estonia
Resilience provides a solid framework for many policy domains, including sustainable governance, safety, and national security. Likewise, deep divisions that characterise polarised societies are proven to undermine resilience, exposing populations to crises and consequences thereof.
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Fates Interconnected: Ukraine and Estonia Should Be Guarantors Of Each Other’s Security
Maksym Kononenko, extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Estonia, sat down for his first interview in Estonia as Ukraine prepared to mark its 32 years since the restoration of its Independence – and 547 days since the full-scale Russian invasion – on 24 August 2023.
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Mapping Media Literacy
In 2022, the BCME in cooperation with the International Centre for Defence and Security (Estonia) and individual experts from Latvia and Lithuania carried out a research project titled “Media Literacy Sector Mapping in Estonia.” Similar mapping reports, which applied the same methodology but studied Georgia, Latvia, Moldova, and Ukraine, were produced in 2021.
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British Power in Baltic Weather: The UK’s Role in Nordic-Baltic Security and UK-Estonia Defence Cooperation
For many decades, the United Kingdom has been an important player in the Nordic-Baltic region, and today it aims to increase its contribution to security and stability of the region. The UK has long been an attractive partner for countries in the region that seek to maintain strong relations with the geopolitical heavyweight possessing a similar outlook on the security environment, transatlantic relations, utility of military force, and the threat from Russia. Given London’s interest for global engagement and its limited means, ensuring continuous and reliable British involvement in the region is a priority for Nordic-Baltic states.
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China and Rare Earths: Risks to Supply Chain Resilience in Europe
This analysis argues that the EU and NATO’s efforts to strengthen supply chain resilience in critical raw materials are vulnerable to the People’s Republic of China’s leverage on key industry actors. It studies the case of the planned expansion of Silmet, Europe’s only rare earths processing plant, as well as the entities that control the plant and their current and historical ties to the Chinese market, the PRC party-state, the People’s Liberation Army, and China’s defence sector.
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New solutions in Ida-Virumaa: Betting on integration via innovation
Estonia’s north-eastern county of Ida-Virumaa is again at the centre of the national policy debate. The new coalition agreement between the ruling parties concluded in the spring of 2023 pays greater attention to the region and institutes a new position. In particular, a special representative for Ida-Virumaa will be in charge of finding progressive solutions to the county-specific problems.
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War and Energy Security: Lessons for The Future
Russia’s war against Ukraine has produced multiple shifts in the geopolitical landscape of Europe. Various EU member states and EU institutions broke through entire decades of dogmatic principles and established practices in security and defence policies to respond to Russia’s aggression and protect the continent. The energy domain is at the forefront of this confrontation, as Russia used its dominant market position in European energy supply in the run-up to – as well as during – the war to weaken Europe’s responses, divide the EU, and deter it from increasing its support to Ukraine.
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