Demonstrators from the "Nashi" youth movement protest the removal of a monument to Soviet soldiers in downtown Tallinn in front of an embassy in Moscow on February 9, 2007.
Photo: Alexey Kudenko
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Big Little Countries
// In the Rush towards Europe, Estonia Turns Its Back on Russia
Every nation searches for its own means of asserting itself in global politics. Small countries also come out of the shadows in order to feel like "little giants of big politics." Their methods of attracting attention to themselves often differ significantly from those employed by major world powers: after all, they are aimed at a quick, dramatic effect that gives the country a chance to be at the center of world news. Even if these methods repel and shock, that doesn't hurt – in fact, it can actually help resolve the situation at hand. Little countries need big, resounding shocks.
In the run-up to the recent parliamentary elections in Estonia, the first since the country's accession to NATO and the European Union in 2004 and thus truly a watershed moment, tiny Estonia is in desperate need of exactly these methods of geopolitical self-affirmation. It needs to prove that its entrance into the EU means that it is no longer just a former Soviet province. Now it has moved into the backyard of "greater Europe" and is governed after the political fashion of Europe. In that sense, yesterday should have been the day of a small but real triumph for Tallinn: "advanced Estonia" became the first country in the world where people voted over the internet. The progressive Estonian experiment should have provoked enormous interest from the European grandees.
Significantly, the Estonian elections, which are now the focus of attention because of the internet voting, a few weeks ago were the focus of attention because they were seen as a battle with a "Soviet legacy." As the first elections under the umbrella of "greater Europe" approached, Estonian politicians showed unprecedented energy in employing that same drastic method that is capable of scaring the majority of the civilized world. Thus, the "Day of the Liberation of Tallinn from the Fascists" became the "Day of Remembrance of the Freedom Fighters" – in other words, for soldiers of the Estonian SS division. Then the path of the political ascent of the tiny Baltic nation was blocked by the Bronze Soldier who stands in the middle of the Estonian capital. And it was only at the last moment that Estonians understood what course they were on and, obeying that healthy idea, that instinct for self-preservation, they decided not to take the last step - not to rush to truck that monument to the liberating soldiers away to the Tallinn cemetery.
After these model elections, Estonians will undoubtedly win over that "greater Europe" that is so essential in their eyes. But that still will not make the country a "small giant in big politics." Nationalist rhetoric, which is capable of firing up the electorate before the elections, will turn out to be counterproductive after the holiday of the nascent democracy that goes by the name of "elections" passes and the Estonian authorities encounter the reality of everyday life. Then it will become clear that self-affirmation at the expense of Russia is not likely to be able to push Estonia into the ranks of new European leaders. In general, in proving to Europe that it isn't tiny, Estonia will also have to prove that to Russia - with the aid of that same Bronze Soldier, who should at least be left in peace, even if you don't want to bring him flowers.
Sergey Strokan
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 05, 2007
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