What We Can Learn From Estonia

[Mister D]

Snip

The Estonians are closely related to the Finns, and their languages are close as well. Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is only about 50 miles from Helsinki, the capital of Finland, and they are in commuting distance by hydrofoil across the Gulf of Finland. Before the Soviet Union conquered Estonia in 1939, the Estonians and Finns had close to the same standard of living. But the Finns were able to maintain their freedom by conducting a vigorous defense against the Soviet invasion in 1939.

The Finnish economy prospered after World War II, while the Estonian economy was destroyed by the Soviets. By 1987, it is estimated that the Finns were seven times richer per capita than the Estonians.

Ever since they regained their freedom in 1991, as a result of undertaking the most radical free-market reforms of any of the transition countries, the Estonians have been gaining on their Finnish neighbors, who also have continued to do well, and now have about two-thirds of the per capita income of the average Finn.


http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/4762

[Conley]

Interesting. Given how decimated the Estonian economy was they really had nowhere to go but up. Still that is an impressive recovery in such a short time. I remember reading that Finland maintained good financial discipline during the banking madness that wrecked the other countries. There was a clever abbreviation for the countries involved, something like PIGS: Portugal Ireland Greece Spain.

[Mister D]

Interesting. Given how decimated the Estonian economy was they really had nowhere to go but up. Still that is an impressive recovery in such a short time. I remember reading that Finland maintained good financial discipline during the banking madness that wrecked the other countries. There was a clever abbreviation for the countries involved, something like PIGS: Portugal Ireland Greece Spain.


yeah, I thin all the Scandinavian countries managed to weather it better than the rest.

[Conley]

yes, i wonder why that was.....

iceland too got pretty wrecked by it.

[Mister D]

yes, i wonder why that was.....

iceland too got pretty wrecked by it.


Iceland got some of the worst of it, didn't they?

Not sure. Those countries aren't heavily populated. Maybe that helps.

[MMC]

All true. Norway, Sweeden, all doing well. Less population helps. I think Iceland, told the IMF to screw-off. The PIGS= Portugal,Italy, Greece and Spain. Next up the FIBS.....France,Ireland,Brits and Scots. Althought not necessarily in that Order.

[Captain Obvious]

Wasn't it Estonia that was ape-shit over GW?

[Conley]

yes, i wonder why that was.....

iceland too got pretty wrecked by it.


Iceland got some of the worst of it, didn't they?

Not sure. Those countries aren't heavily populated. Maybe that helps.




All true. Norway, Sweeden, all doing well. Less population helps. I think Iceland, told the IMF to screw-off. The PIGS= Portugal,Italy, Greece and Spain. Next up the FIBS.....France,Ireland,Brits and Scots. Althought not necessarily in that Order.


true but iceland (guessing) must have a much smaller population...don't recall the GW ape-shitting but seems like a lot of countries had issues with him. will have to look into that...

[MMC]

Wasn't it Estonia that was ape-shit over GW?


No that was Albania.....W. is a Rock-Star to them.

[Mister D]

Wasn't it Estonia that was ape-shit over GW?


No that was Albania.....W. is a Rock-Star to them.


Not all the Muslim nations hate us. ;)

[MMC]

Maybe not Muslim Nations.....but I think the Shia are past the point of being livid with us.

[Mister D]

I just think it's funny that the US has gone out of its way to support Muslims and we have such a bad reputation among Muslims generally.

[MMC]

Well the Sunni have played it just right.....as they back both political parties in this Country.

[Mister D]

Well the Sunni have played it just right.....as they back both political parties in this Country.


Just like the corporations! :o ;D

[Captain Obvious]

Wasn't it Estonia that was ape-shit over GW?


No that was Albania.....W. is a Rock-Star to them.


Yeah, that's it.

[Captain Obvious]

I just think it's funny that the US has gone out of its way to support Muslims and we have such a bad reputation among Muslims generally.


There's an inherent hatred for countries that have thrived off of freedom, freedom from oppression, freedom of speech and have been very successful doing so.

If you are successful, no doubt that there will be some groveling idiot hating you for it.

[Mister D]

I just think it's funny that the US has gone out of its way to support Muslims and we have such a bad reputation among Muslims generally.


There's an inherent hatred for countries that have thrived off of freedom, freedom from oppression, freedom of speech and have been very successful doing so.

If you are successful, no doubt that there will be some groveling idiot hating you for it.


Exactly. I think Americans should worry less about being liked and more about doing what we perceive as the correct course of action. When being liked becomes an end in itself you get a incoherent foreign policy like we have now.

[Captain Obvious]

I just think it's funny that the US has gone out of its way to support Muslims and we have such a bad reputation among Muslims generally.


There's an inherent hatred for countries that have thrived off of freedom, freedom from oppression, freedom of speech and have been very successful doing so.

If you are successful, no doubt that there will be some groveling idiot hating you for it.


Exactly. I think Americans should worry less about being liked and more about doing what we perceive as the correct course of action. When being liked becomes an end in itself you get a incoherent foreign policy like we have now.


Agreed.

Stick with what we have been successful with.

[waltky]

Granny says, "Trump suckerin' Putin in so's he can give him a bloody nose...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_grandma.gif
Four U.S. Army Abrams tanks, 15 BFVs reach Estonia
Feb. 6, 2017 -- Four U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams battle tanks and 15 Bradley Fighting Vehicles arrived in Estonia on Monday as part of NATO's Operation Atlantic Resolve.


U.S. troops of the 68th Armored Regiment's 1st Battalion arrived Friday, the Estonian Defense Forces said in a statement. "The infantry company's heavy equipment with tanks and armored fighting vehicles arrived at Estonia's Tapa station," Estonian Defense Forces said

The company replaced the 173rd Airborne Brigade's 503rd Infantry Regiment, which arrived in September. The U.S. Department of Defense said the move to Estonia shows how the U.S. forces are able to "move freely from one NATO country to another."

In NATO's Operation Atlantic Resolve, the United States has deployed troops in Europe that will train in Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia for the next eight months as a show of force to directly respond to what the alliance sees as increased Russian aggression.


http://cdnph.upi.com/svc/sv/i/1101486389581/2017/1/14863926946419/Four-US-Army-Abrams-tanks-15-BFVs-reach-Estonia.jpg
The Estonian Defense Forces said four U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams battle tanks and 15 Bradley Fighting Vehicles arrived in Estonia on Monday as part of NATO's Operation Atlantic Resolve. The troops who operate the equipment reached Estonia on Friday.

The NATO operation has been criticized by Russia as a "factor destabilizing European security." "The movement of equipment and troops into and around Europe marks the beginning of a continuous rotation of armored brigade combat teams from the United States as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve," the U.S. Defense Department said in a statement. "Atlantic Resolve is a demonstration of continued U.S. commitment to collective security through a series of actions designed to reassure NATO allies and partners of America's dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region in light of the Russian intervention in the Ukraine."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/02/06/Four-US-Army-Abrams-tanks-15-BFVs-reach-Estonia/1101486389581/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=11

[patrickt]

What do we learn from Venezuela? What do we learn from Cuba? What did we learn from the USSR? What did we learn from East Germany? Some of us did learn a lot from their failures. Democrats learned nothing except lying, cheating, and rioting.