No. 36

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How to survive in the changed security situation

Security is the focus topic of the new issue of Riigikogu Toimetised. As the members of the Riigikogu who participated in the Riigikogu Toimetised conversation circle found, security cannot be divided into external and internal security any more, and there are new aspects in it due to global developments. This is why we can say without exaggeration that security involves all fields of life. Besides war, it is also necessary to take into account humanitarian and natural disasters, and unexpected technological collapses that do not have to be the direct result of the activities of an enemy state (for example, solar flares that can knock out all electronics).

What has happened in the world, why has the world come unstuck? Head of the International Centre for Defence and Security Sven Sakkov discusses it in his essay. How the Estonian defence capabilities have reacted or should react in the future to these changes is the problem we can think about together with General Ants Laaneots, who has written about the building up of the Estonian national defence, and with Colonel Enno Mõts, who is the Commandant of Estonian National Defence College, and whose article deals with the impact of technologies on the armed forces over the next ten years.

Si vis pacem, para bellum. The state has to know what resources it has and what it should do in a crisis situation. The Ministry of Justice has conducted a national defence law revision, and the leader of the Working Group Margit Gross gives an overview of it. Lawyer Emeritus Kaido Pihlakas writes about military law, which is a related topic.

Our major translated article is Mark Galeotti’s analysis of the means Russia uses to direct its political war in Europe. How does Europe respond to it? Viljar Veebel describes the European Union’s normative power in relations with Russia. Regarding the issues of internal security, it is also possible to read Kristjan Kaldur’s article about newly arrived immigrants in Estonia, and Kristiina Raidla-Puhm’s treatment of the theoretical sources of Islamic radicalism. So that what should we do better in this context than others in the world have done before us?

But as we had local elections recently, this topic should not be overlooked either. Besides security issues, there is a small block of articles on elections in the new Riigikogu Toimetised. Political scientist Rein Toomla examines the voter turnout, particularly in the merged local governments, and Alar Kilp discusses the election turnout of young people.

The article on the parliamentary elections of 2015 by the recipient of Riigikogu scholarship Kristiine Järvan also relates to the elections and local governments, giving a short survey of the voting loyalty of citizens. Alvar Nõuakas from the National Audit Office discusses how the state should support improving the public services of local governments.

However, in the security context, we should follow the principle that we believe in our partners and the common moral values, but we still have to do what is necessary. And if it is not possible in any way to do all, then we should do at least half.

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