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EESTI ELU reedel, 15. jaanuaril 2021 — Friday, January 15, 2021
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South Caucasus region, where Turkish backing allowed Azerbaijan to wage a victorious Three decades since the col six-week war against Kremlin lapse of the Soviet Union, the ally Armenia. Putin was even process is still far from over. tually able to broker a peace Officially, of course, the USSR agreement which allowed ceased to exist in 1991. In Russia to deploy a peacekeep reality, Moscow has never ing mission in the war zone, but come to terms with the loss of this face-saving gesture could empire and has spent the past not disguise the fact that thirty years fighting to reverse Moscow had been forced to ac the verdict of history. This cept the presence of a rival struggle between Russian re power in a region where Russia vanchism and the nation- had previously reigned supreme building efforts of the former for over a century. Turkey’s in Soviet republics has shaped volvement in the Azerbaijanithe political landscape of the Armenian War was a watershed post-Soviet world for a ge moment in post-Soviet history neration, but there are signs that transformed the balance of that the tide may now be power in the South Caucasus turning decisively against the and shattered illusions regard ing Russia’s ability to dictate Kremlin. military outcomes within the 2020 proved disastrous for boundaries of the former USSR. Vladimir Putin and his dreams If events in Azerbaijan came of informal empire. It was sup as a shock to Russia, develop posed to be a year of trium ments in neighboring Belarus phant posturing dominated by struck even closer to home. The events marking the seventy-fifth protest movement that has anniversary of the Soviet victory emerged over the past four over Nazi Germany. Instead, months following Belarus’s Putin spent much of his time hidden away from the public as flawed August 9 presidential Russia struggled with one of election may not be overtly the world’s most severe corona geopolitical in nature, but the virus outbreaks. There was also pro-democracy demands of the little to cheer in the wider protesters are nevertheless neighborhood as Russian in anathema to Moscow, which re terests in the post-Soviet space mains haunted by the Soviet experienced a series of setbacks. collapse and views people power movements as a direct threat to In Central Asia, unrest in the Kremlin’s own authoritarian Kyrgyzstan led to the collapse model. of a pro-Russian government. Opposition leaders in Bela This sparked fears of a further rus have bent over backwards in decline in Kremlin influence in their attempts to convince a region where Moscow already Russia it has nothing to fear, finds itself competing against but there is little doubt in the growing presence of China. Moscow that a democratic In Moldova, the pro-Russian Belarus would inevitably turn incumbent was handily defeated towards the West if not physi by a pro-Western candidate in cally prevented from doing so. the country’s presidential elec Putin has therefore reluctantly tion. Moldova’s new presi intervened to prop up Belarus dent-elect Maia Sandu is exactly dictator Alyaksandr Lukashen the kind of politician Moscow ka, providing financial lifelines fears. An English-speaking, and teams of advisers while Harvard-educated economist, also publicly promising to de she seeks to pursue membership ploy Russian security forces if of the European Union and has necessary. called on Russia to withdraw its There is a sense of sad inevi occupation forces from the tability surrounding Putin’s sup Kremlin-backed breakaway Mol port for Lukashenka. Kremlin dovan region of Transnistria. policymakers appreciate that by
Peter Dickinson. Atlantic Council January 2021
The most stunning blow to Russian interests came in the
backing the deeply unpopular and increasingly violent Luka
eGA co-founds…
transfer to Japan and Asia. eGA is keen to share 25 years of Estonian experience in develop ing digital societies and lessons learnt, to make digital transfor mation happen in Japan and Asia, “ said Hannes Astok.
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administration. The D-GAP is registered as a Japanese cor poration with a 60 percent stake owned by MURC and a 40 percent stake owned by eGA. Executive Director of the e-Governance Academy Hannes Astok said it is a great honour for the e-Governance Academy to start digital governance pro motion activities in Japan and the Asian region jointly with the local partner MURC. “The collaboration with our Japanese partner will result in the most efficient knowledge
President of Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co Satoshi Murabayashi said: “The importance of promoting digital government in Japan has been widely reaffirmed. This joint ven t ure company named D-GAP will make sincere efforts to promote digital trans formation in a wide range of societies in the Asian region. The D-GAP will share the
shenka regime in Minsk, they are turning millions of pre viously sympathetic Belarusians against Russia. However, in the civilizational contest for hearts and minds that is playing out across the post-Soviet world, Moscow simply has no answer to the infinitely more appealing prospect of European-style de mocracy. This leaves the Krem lin with few viable options other than the use of force. Russia’s inability to sell it self as an attractive alternative to the West has been most im mediately apparent in Ukraine. During the 2013 debate over Ukraine’s proposed EU Asso ciation Agreement, Moscow made almost no attempt to pro mote the relative advantages of closer ties with Russia. Instead, the Kremlin embarked on a uni lateral trade war and blustered about dire consequences, while at the same time backing an inept anti-EU campaign that included playground homopho bia and scaremongering over same-sex unions. As Ukrainians prepared to make the most meaningful geopolitical deci sion of the entire post-Soviet era, Russia had nothing to offer except anti-Western nonsense and thinly veiled threats. The poverty of Russia’s pre sent position is no secret to Putin. Unable to offer a co herent vision for the future, he has responded by fighting over the past. However, while rose-tinted Soviet nostalgia and WWII mythology play well inside Russia itself, they are no match for the everyday aspira tions found elsewhere in the USSR among populations where relatively few share modern Russia’s sense of wounded imperial pride. The foreign policy defeats that have beset Moscow over the past year fit into a far broader pattern of Russian retreat dating back to 1991. Landmarks along the way in clude EU and NATO member ship for the Baltic nations, and Ukraine’s two post-Soviet revo lutions. The recent AzerbaijaniArmenian War and Belarus’s ongoing national awakening may also deserve places on the list.
Estonian philosophy and ex perience on how digital trans formation can benefit a whole society and economy, not only by improving the efficiency of administration.” The e-Governance Academy (eGA) is a non-profit consulting organisation founded in 2002 as a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Pro gramme (UNDP), the Open Society Institute, and the Govern ment of Estonia to cre ate and transfer knowledge and best practices in the area of public sector digital transforma tion. eGA has worked with over 130 countries.
Photo: miapupe.com
Russia in retreat as the Soviet collapse continues
Kid’s Corner: Estonian toys and puzzles for cold or rainy days Vincent Teetsov For young kids today, video games, tablets, computers, and TVs are more accessible than they have been for any generation before. For all the fun and learning they provide as tools, playing with some thing physical, moving around, and using your own imagina tion are all tried and true parts of the kid experience. However, this kind of play is challenging at times of the year when the sun sets early, or if it’s too cold or rainy. It’s even more disappointing for kids if nice weather has slipped by during a school day. Unless there’s something exciting wait ing for them after their home work is over! Remember how many hours you once spent creating characters, their worlds, and putting on theatrical perfor mances? Or fitting together a huge puzzle as the rain pattered on the window? Maybe you’ve felt nostalgic about your own games and toys growing up and want to share that euphoria with your own children, grandchildren, or nieces and nephews. Here are some companies from Estonia that have made toys and puzzles for kids with an emphasis on high quality manufacturing and design. Pehme mänguasjad made by MiaPuPe (soft fabric toys – available from https://miapupe. com/pages/lapse-joonistuse-jar gi-valmistatud-manguasi ) MiaPuPe is a family busi ness, started in 2012 by Mariel Tammik, who is from Hiiumaa. Tammik has a professional background in clothing design and production, which has taken shape in a large collection of mystical beasts, fabric creatures for babies, rattle toys, and bags with detailed images sewn on. She has brought her creations on the road and appeared at outdoor markets in and around Tallinn and has been selling online since 2015. Each item has an unabashed playfulness that stands out from other similar toys. Even more spectacular are the commission-based stuffed animals she makes. The concept is that she uses the drawings of characters sent to her by cus tomers, usually done by their children, and makes as close of a representation of that drawing as possible. This is done, no matter how fantastical the draw ings are. Past projects include the mascot of a children’s museum and the replacement of a child’s favourite beagle
stuffed animal that had been lost. Textiles and sewing can save the day! Puidust mänguasjad from E. Strauss (wooden toys – avail able from https://www.strauss.ee/ index.php?sisu=tootekataloog &mid=1&kat=36&lang=est ) The town of Avinurme, in Jõgevamaa, has been document ed in writing for its woodwork ing tradition since the 1800s, according to the E. Strauss company. This line of work is still common in the area. The company started in 1994, and in 2010, the Avinurme Puiduait (referring to the large barn in town that the shop is located in) was opened, selling the wares of approximately 30 crafts people. Some of these are home items, like baskets, utensils, bowls, and sauna kibud (wood en pails, also known as “pig gins” in English, with a handle that extends from the main structure of the pail). In their stock, they also have handmade wooden vehicles of all kinds for children to play with. The ve hicles have space for small figures that you might get in a model making kit, and extra components like wheels and propellers move freely, allowing for dynamic playing. If you’re ever in the area, you can also stop by for one of their õpitoad (“workshops”) in baking, woodworking, wood painting, or basket weaving. Lotte ja kuukivi saladus pusle (Lotte and the Moonstone Mystery jigsaw puzzle – available from https://www. lotteshop.eu/puzzles/pusle-lotteja-kuukivi-saladus-3x49-tk ) In 2020, puzzle purchases were sky high, more than the usual holiday season levels according to The New York Times. Legendary German firm Ravensburger is in on the ac tion, and have teamed up with one of Estonia’s most famous children’s brands. To this day, each puzzle cut design is mapped out by hand. The character of Lotte, her sister Roosi, and her friends Albert and Bruno in Leiutajate küla (“Gadgetville”) aren’t just in books, animations, or Lottemaa (“Lotte Land”) theme park – they are scrambled and waiting to be put together in puzzle form. The three 49 piece puzzles included are based on the second feature-length Lotte animated film. See how these match up with your child’s current toys, to find the best fit for their interests. Perhaps these will become toys that they in turn will look back on with fond memories!
