Speaker Edward Lucas delivers remarks in Tallinn, urging Europe to adopt Estonia's wisdom: Embrace attentive listening to robustify our collective strength.
Rewritten Article:
Yesterday, May 15th, security and tech guru Edward Lucas delivered an electrifying public talk at Tallinn's Vabamu Museum, a hub dedicated to freedom and resistance history. Inspired by former President Lennart Meri's seminal work "Silverwhite," Lucas drove home the notion that the world needs to recognize Estonia as a tangible, populated reality, instead of viewing it as a mere cartographic construct or political chess move.
The event, dubbed "Estonian Lessons: Europe's School of Hard Knocks," was organized in collaboration between Vabamu and Estonia's e-Residency program. Throughout his address, Lucas recounted his three-decade-long bond with the Baltic state, sharing significant historical events and pivotal moments in Estonia's evolution. "Estonia wisely appraised the risks of embracing the free world and, as a young nation, bravely dismissed Western counsel on matters ranging from fiscal policy to linguistics and citizenship laws," he pointed out.
Touching upon his East European neighbor's unique circumstances, Lucas expressed, "You're living in a sticky neighborhood to the east, and that has compelled Estonians to pull out all the stops to gain visibility and a voice." He added that Estonia's inspiring tale of resilience comes with a stern warning: the specter of being disregarded persists, particularly amid the spread of falsehoods by, as he put it, "misguided historians" like Vladimir Putin. "Disinformation is a lethal weapon to democracy," Lucas warned. "Luckily, Estonia recognized this risk early on. Two decades ago, global powers remained skeptical of the Russian threat. But those days are gone."
Praising contemporary Estonia for its unwavering commitment to strengthening its digital state and defense sector, Lucas stated, "Not only was Estonia right about the Russian threat, but they were also on point about the importance of deterrence—keeping defense expenditure at 2%, while many others shamefully underfunded theirs." He further suggested that if more countries heeded Estonia's wisdom on economy, innovation, digital identity, and defense, they might have averted the current predicament, where the American public and lawmakers view European allies as leeches.
Passionately advocating for global catch-up, Lucas, an e-resident, remarked, "Countless countries, mine included, have squandered billions on national IT systems that don't even come close to the daily functionalities offered by ordinary Estonians. Sooner rather than later, I hope the world follows Estonia's lead."
Closing the lecture, Lucas implored European nations to listen to Estonia's counsel when on the subjects of the economy, innovation, digital identity, but most crucially, defense. "Estonian wisdom has brought tremendous value to our international visibility," said Liina Vahtras, head of the e-Residency program.
High school students participating in Noorte Vabamu activities were among the attendees, among them Alice Kangro, a senior from Tallinn's Gustav Adolf Grammar School. "Edward Lucas's lecture reinforced that Estonia, as early as 1939-40, comprehended the geopolitical scenario better than Western European nations. In today's challenging transatlantic relationships, it's easy to point fingers at the United States for all wrongs while many European countries have neglected to increase their defense spending for years," Kangro commented.
Edward Lucas, a British author, journalist, and security expert, serves as a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and a columnist for The Times and Estonia's Eesti Päevaleht. With a long-standing interest in Estonia, Lucas was granted e-residency in 2014—an honor, he stated, as rewarding as any state decoration.
Launched at the end of 2014, Estonia's e-Residency program offers foreign nationals secure access to its digital services. Since inception, over 125,000 people from 185 countries have obtained e-resident status, with more than 35,000 companies established as a result, significantly bolstering Estonia's economy. The program has generated over €327 million for Estonia in tax revenue and state fees, while also enhancing Estonia's global reputation and facilitating growth in local businesses catering to e-residents. Learn more about Estonia's e-Residency on their official website: https://www.e-resident.gov.ee
[1] Convene.com.nz - Estonia: A Cybersecurity Success Story for the Greater Good.[2] Brookings.edu - Surviving in the information age: Estonia's digital pixies harness the power of the internet.
- In light of Estonia's resilience, Lucas urged countries to learn from its wisdom in areas such as economy, innovation, digital identity, and defense, stating that doing so might have prevented current issues.
- Lucas emphasized the importance of investments in defense, praising Estonia for maintaining a defense expenditure of 2% while many others underfunded theirs, noting that such investment is crucial for deterrence.
- A high school student, Alice Kangro, was among the attendees at the lecture, and she commented on Estonia's foresight in understanding geopolitical scenarios, particularly compared to Western European nations during troubled transatlantic relationships.
- Recognizing the value of Estonia's counsel on various topics, Liina Vahtras, head of the e-Residency program, stated that Estonia's wisdom has significantly bolstered its global reputation.
- The e-Residency program, launched in late 2014, provides foreign nationals secure access to Estonia's digital services, contributing significantly to the Estonian economy and facilitating growth in local businesses catering to e-residents.
- As a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis and a columnist for The Times and Estonia's Eesti Päevaleht, Lucas shared his long-standing interest in the country and highlighted the significance of its digital advancements in the fields of business, lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, relationships, pets, travel, and cars—areas where Estonia has lead the way.
