Estonia is a tiny sparsely populated country sitting in the Baltics under the shadow of its powerful Russian neighbor. Yet ethnic Russians within Estonia often find themselves at a disadvantage. For Estonia's leaders, it's a difficult duality to navigate.
Estonian President Toomas Hendrick Ilves has been a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression in Ukraine. Many in the West blame Putin for inciting a civil war between Western sympathizers and ethnic Russians in the former Soviet republic. Ilves fears Estonia could be next if Putin is not dissuaded by tough talk.
Ilves isn't delusional. Estonia gained independence by defeating the Red Army in 1920. The Soviet Union occupied the country in 1940 and took it back from the Germans in 1944. The country of Estonia was wiped off the map and incorporated into the Soviet Union.
In June of 1988, Estonians took to the Song Festival Grounds en masse to sing patriotic songs and wave the blue, black and white flag of their country. A significant portion of the country showed up preventing the Soviets from putting down the protest.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and Estonia's subsequent independence, there has been an uneasy relationship between the Estonian state and its ethnic Russians. Estonia has the tenth most stateless persons of any country in the world despite its minute population overall (1.3 million). This is due to anti-Russian laws. For non ethnic Estonians- event hose born int he country- the naturalization process is quite rigorous. While Estonian is barely spoken in northwestern Estonia, those residents still must pass a difficult language test to gain citizenship.
The result is that many ethnic Russians, who make up about a quarter of the country, hold a gray passport. This allows them freedom of movement between Russia and Estonia, but doesn't give them citizenship in either country.
The border city of Narva is nearly 100% Russian. Some believe Putin has eyes on the enclave. Others believe that the ethnic Russians of Narva prefer to remain part of Estonia partly because of higher wages. Estonia is also part of NATO and if Putin invades Narva, all of NATO is obligated to fight.
Tensions are high in the region. NATO has performed military exercises in the country. Estonia has ramped up its own exercises. The heightened sense of anti-Russian anxiety could trickle down to a distrust toward ethnic Russians.
Ethnic Russians make less money than ethnic Estonians although the gap is closing. Russians faces obstacles towards entering public occupations. Initially, they were even banned from playing for the national soccer team.
Certainly Estonia's leaders need to remain concerned about the belligerent actions of its Russian neighbor, but suppressing ethnic Russians' rights will backfire. Putin will be able to manipulate any frustration among the ethnic Russian populace.
Estonia is becoming a global tech hub. It's one of the most wired countries in the world. Nearly every establishment offers free WiFi in the capital, Tallin. Companies such as Skype and Kazaa were created in the Baltic country. The nation's best of hope of staving off Russian aggression is to continue to promote innovation. Integrating ethnic Russians into its tech culture and tamping down ethnic chauvinism will also keep ethnic Russians happy to continue to call Estonia home. Estonia has a Russian problem, but it's not from within.
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