Estonia is a country that does not ring a bell for the most of the population in the world. There are only 1.3 million people living in Estonia and it is a small country in the Eastern Europe right beside Russia. That is something to keep in mind when it comes to international relations because the biggest actors in international relations today are USA, Russia and China. The United States of America has a population of 331 million, Russia 146 million and China 1.4 billion. So where does it leave Estonia?
When it comes to the position of Estonia in the world, by population we find Estonia on the 155th place and by area we find Estonia on the 129th place. That means that Estonians have not the best grounds to be aggressive and demanding in international relations. That means that Estonia needs to be part of international organizations (such as the European Union or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in order to maintain its independence and stand up for its rights.
The main factors that affect foreign policy in Estonia are geopolitical position, international organizations and the size of Estonian military. When it comes to geopolitical position it is a well-known fact that sharing a border with Russia is and has been a great threat to the independence of Estonia. In that matter it is vital for Estonians to have allies and keep from provoking Russians into military conflict. As mentioned before, international organizations play a vital part in the foreign policy of Estonia. For example the European Union, which dictates a lot how Estonia reacts in its international relations because Estonia itself is too small to maintain strong and important relations and for example dictate the market deals with Russia or China. The third mention factor is military power which Estonia has not. The military of Estonia has no working air force or marine corps so on its own it would not last a day against Russia, China, USA or any other big country. That means that lots of decisions Estonia makes are based on the need of having help on military bases from other countries.
One of the biggest problems Estonia faces in foreign policy is migration because there are already about 40 percent of the population whose first language is not Estonian. When that percent increases it creates a huge national problem which can lead to losing Estonian cultural identity. The other problem is maintaining its sovereignty which becomes harder and harder because Estonia needs allies in order to stay as an independent state but for that Estonia has to make decisions that are useful for other countries and do not benefit Estonia itself. That leads us to a paradox – which is more important: maintaining independence or sovereignty? And the answer to this question depends on which parties are in the government.
Considering all the above mentioned, Estonia is relying on allies in order to maintain its independence. And it is because of that Estonian foreign policy is focused on international organizations. It is also clear that Estonia is in no position to make strong statements or demands in international relations due to its weak military power and low position in rankings by population or area.
Aniiratak 