An opinion piece by Edgar Velbri, 'libertarian socialist', appeared on Delfi today questioning the reasoning behind Estonia's involvement in other people's wars. It makes several good points, not the least of which being that the people in Afghanistan and Iraq (in particular) are arguably worse off these days than they were before The West decided they needed rescuing. The column ends with this rather pithy paragraph:
"Ma ei ole kuulnud mitte ühtegi mõjuvat ja arvestatavat põhjust, miks me peaksime nendest sõdadest osa võtma ning pakkuma USA-le oma poliitilist ning sõjalist toetust ilma küsimusi esitamata. Ma ei ole kuulnud mitte ühtegi arvestatavat põhjust, miks me peaksime müüma ennast nagu poliitilist libu. Ilmselt on asi selles, et seda põhjust ei olegi."
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"I have yet to hear a single convincing argument for our involvement in these wars and for offering the United States our political and military support, no questions asked. I have yet to hear a single convincing argument why we should be selling ourselves like some political whore. Patently because no such argument exists."Other than the fact, of course, that now Estonia is playing in the same backyard as the big boys, it is desperate to impress them. Besides, it's not like it isn't a mutually beneficial arrangement: there are rumours that Estonians may finally be able to travel to America without a visa... within a year! Maybe.
