Estonia's “Return to Europe”: The relationship between neoliberalism, statelessness, and Westward integration in post-independence Estonia • Karl Patrick Norberg, King's College London
Following Estonia's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the country engaged in a fast-paced neoliberal transition to secure its alliance with the West. Simultaneously, the newly independent state decided to exclude the 500,000 Soviet migrants living in Estonia from its citizenry, thereby making a third of its population stateless. The aim of this article is to explore how the three political projects of independent Estonia – that is, creating and maintaining the ethnonationalist citizenship regime, the country's neoliberal transition and Estonia's Westward integration through a “Return to Europe” – have converged, mutually reinforced each other, and become irrevocably intertwined. To this end, the article traces the historical, material and discursive production of statelessness in Estonia. The initial exclusion of Soviet migrants from citizenship was justified on the basis of “restoring” Estonia to its pre-USSR demographic composition. While many left, those wh
Glass half full or half empty is the question here. Hexbear is usually really nice and I didn't expect my post to be received the way it was. I understand the original post was bad, but I wish is would've been given a bit of a chance. I understand the mods choice, but I feel it was done out of misunderstanding. I didn't portray my views properly at all leading to people to think I was saying things I really didn't mean to. I improved on it here and could've done better still as I find myself in the replies here. Don't wanna drag you into a long argument, don't feel obliged to respond
I'm sorry for bothering you and others on Hexbear and lg. I hoped I would be able to have a conversation with the people there, I very much should've not posted that, it betrayed my views in the sense that it sucked at getting any of them across and created a lot of misunderstanding. No one got what I said, I tried to improve upon it here. I just wanted to defend myself and be able to get to an understanding, I am sorry if I failed on that. I see you're being rather hostile and I just want you to know sorry I am asshole to you here. You do not need to respond anymore. I wouldn't be keen on arguing with you all if I would've been turned into a punching bag for a day, then moved on.
I'm sorry I was not able to properly explain it to you, I'll try to portray it better to you. I did not make it clear in my post on Hexbear and on here, so here is my more "developed" analysis:
I do not think anti-Semitism is present within the state. There is no analogue to the oppression of Black and Arab people's around the world to be found here. Anti-Semitism exists within the individual, it does not in any meaningful way translate to state policy. Elon Musk is probably an anti-Semite, but his views haven't been expressed through the use of state repression of Jewish communities. I drew an analogue to anti-white racism here, as in, like in this instance. You can say derogatory things about white men, whiteness, but extrapolating that to mean there is institutionalised repression of white people is false.
My main argument here, that I failed to properly portray in the post on Hexbear and which I probably could've expanded on further here, is that anti-Semitism does not take the form of state repression. Anti-Semitism exists in the same sense that anti-white racism exists. There may be some who genuinely don't like white people, though that does not translate in any meaningful way into the machinations of the state. There is no institutionalised anti-white sentiment, same applies to Jewish people. This is not me saying anti-Semitism doesn't exist, it does. People do call Jews bad things, slurs, or otherwise. But racism, more generally, is not individual incidents of hate crimes, it is the wielding of state power to repress one group or another, a group which is made to be racially inferior.
I wouldn't want it to be a sticking point myself. I am trying to, in some vain hope of being unbanned, explain myself properly. I would've liked if I was just made a punching bag in the posts comments, then moved on, but I was banned and now I feel the need to defend myself.
Get over yourself
I have not said anything hostile about anyone here, not you, not anyone.To belittle me instead of responding in a meaningful way, handwaving at some abstract anti-Semitic aura you sensed, is not gonna make me understand what I did wrong, why I deserved a ban.
I've explained it already, but @askchapo is specifically made to discuss things. Not to mention the entire idea of an internet forum, generally, is to discuss things! So it is not ridiculous to expect to be allowed to discuss things, instead of just being banned with less than a sentence of reasoning.
It's called @askchapo. If discussion is not something that is wished there, they should rename it to something else. Someone might reasonably misunderstand, ask the wrong question, then get banned and not learn anything.
Jewish people are not oppressed, that is a fact. Xenophobia exists, yes. Institutionalised anti-Semitism does not exist. If your view of oppression is insults that do not translate into state repression, then white people are also oppressed.
Also, as much as I don't want to indulge in your attempt to make this some interpersonal drama, I feel like I need to defend myself here. The post you referenced as evidence for me not doing real life activism was literally me asking for help in finding outlets for activism. There are no real organisations here, besides the one pro-Pal org. I've been to one of their meetings, though they mostly do film screenings and such, not protests or anything like that. They occasionally do, just I haven't know of them for that long to have gone to them earlier. I do not have the capacity to start a communist party all on my own, that was the whole point of the post. I was looking for answers on how to get to the point at which I could do that, or participate in something like that. I was looking for ways to build contacts and such You clearly extrapolated a lot without really reading through the post(s).
Sorry, but searching through a person's posts to smear them isn't a nice thing to do. What you pointed out was completely irrelevant to the topic of the post. I am not entitled to people's time, but a forum specifically advertised as a place to discuss things should allow you to talk about things without being banned. What is the point of an @askchapo forum if you can't ask things?
It sucks in without the context I provided here. It was, as I said here, made in the context of liberal Zionist, regular Zionist and "pro-Palestinian" people unnecessarily centering anti-Semitism when it is, realistically, fringe
I don't get how what I said is anti-Semitic. I argue that anti-Semitism is not prominent in society, Jewish people are not at threat of being lynched. The constant need to explain that you're not an anti-Semite is needless. You wouldn't need to couch anti-Nazi sentiment in the 40s with listing off a bunch of reasons why you aren't anti-German. It's unnecessary and plays into Jewish exceptionalism and Zionism at large.
I don't have much of a problem with the rest of your post, but this part tickles me the wrong way. I don't know if you worded it wrong, or something. But it comes off as genocide apologia.
That's why I don't hold it against Jews (or anyone for that matter) that believe in dumb/bigoted ideas. EVERY group of people has done that, no one is unique.
That's the thing, if you support a genocide, you should very much have it held against you. It's not okay to be a Zionist. It's not a matter of "shit happens", like you've made it out to be here. Just because, apparently, every other group has perpetrated a Holocaust, doesn't make it okay.
The fact that a majority of Jewish people still support the modern Holocaust is not "bullshit pulled from thin air". Nothing I said was counter factual.
Again, I struggle to understand which exact part is conflating Judaism and Zionism. You'd do well to point out which part is problematic here. I'm sure I am repeating myself, but I really want to get it across, I did not expect to get banned for a poorly formatted post. There should've been some form of discussion, as the name @askchapo implies there will be.
How am I supposed to do self crit if I am not even allowed to hear counter arguments, respond to them, and generally just discuss my views?
What is the point of an internet forum, one named @askchapo, if not to discuss things? My post was, as I've already mentioned in another reply here, not much if a question. Though still I put it in @askchapo. Why? Because I felt I wanted to share my views, talk about them. I know my post was not the best, to say the least. It was because I was expecting to be able to discuss it openly and further develop them. A forum named @askchapo should allow you, through conversation, to correct your views rather than banning you
Again, I do not want to be callous, but consider my analogy again. Would you not find it off-putting if, during the 1940s, you heard people center the conversation on whether or not anti-German sentiment was too wide spread? You would not be an anti-German xenophobe for intervening, to say so is ridiculous.
Also, I find it very disingenuous of you to try and psycho analyse me here. It has nothing to do with what I am saying here, and comes off wrong. Would you enjoy me going through your posts, to try and find something I can use against you? It wouldn't be very nice, I am sure you agree.
It is, I know. I made the post in a rush, I wasn't able to properly convey my views. I wasn't expecting to be at risk of being banned for what I was saying, so I didn't at all try to format it properly. It was more of a rant than anything. The main issue I have is that I wish I was given a chance to properly try to convey how I was annoyed at the centering of anti-Semitism and it's over-exaggerated presence in society. I should've been more careful in my wording as it Is obviously a sensitive subject considering recent history, but I wish I was given a chance to actually talk about it. It's the reason I posted it on @askchapo even though it really wasn't a question, I wanted to discuss it
I'm sorry if this is not the appropriate place for this. I was not able to respond in depth on Hexbear, for obvious reasons, so I thought this was the next best place.
You can feel free to push back on anything I said.
I got banned from Hexbear (in my opinion!) unreasonably, cannot appeal the ban or anything because my account is based in Lemmygrad
NOTICE:
I realise now that the main problem here was my post on Hexbear, It was shitty and failed to get across my actual views. I still wish I could've been allowed to properly discuss it, but I understand the decision to ban me. Looking at my original post, I can very much get why that is ban worthy, even though that wouldn't be my decision. What happened happened, as much as I'd like to further expand upon my views, I'll try not to waste your time by trying to explain my views that I fully do not understand, that I've developed throughout the process of arguing with people in the comments. I feel silly for making this such a big deal, sorry. You could look through my replies here to see a further expounded on version of this post here. It really boils down to misunderstanding and semantics, I agree with most of the substance of the comments on this post on their face, it is just that often argued in favour of things I didn't mean to. My view of anti-Semitism boils down to, yes
How to make people realise organisations like Hamas, Hezbollah and Ansar'Allah are not the same as the Taliban or the Islamic State?
People really seem to struggle to realise how different they are. Hamas is not ISIS, that should be obvious to anyone with cursory knowledge on the history of the region. Hamas, Hezbollah and Ansar'Allah are not going to, nor have the capacity to, gut gay people and women who don't wear a niqab or hijab. They are not Salafists, for the love of Christ.
The only reason people compare these wildly different groups, is because they all (at least claim to) adhere to Islamic principles. If you think for even a second, you'd realise how ridiculous this is. It's like comparing the CDU to the KKK or even the Spanish Falange because they're all Christian, in some way or another.
It's plain ridiculous, though the liberal (and conservative) types never seem to get it.
The only way to fix this is for the CDU to go further right
trust 💯💯💯💯💯💯
What has the PSL done differently than other leftist organisations in the U.S. ,and the west more generally, that has allowed them to be so successful?
They have seen a meteoric rise in recent years. Their sister/front organisations like ANSWER, Codepink, People's Forum, BTnews have all become household names. When I look at protests in the U.S., it seems so many of them are organised directly, or indirectly, by them. In comparison, organisations like the CPUSA or the DSA are lacking behind.
How and why?
Is Ibrahim Traore a socialist?
I know he's called himself a Sankarist, but is he a socialist? His actions would seem to align with what a socialist would do in his position. He recently talked about a "progressive people's revolution", if that means anything.
Why taking a more aggressive approach to diplomacy with the West would be a mistake
The Soviet Union, nearly a century ago, signed a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany.They knew that otherwise they would've risked the Western states aligning with the Nazis had they entered an earlier war with Germany, or generally been more aggressive in their foreign policy. It allowed them to diplomatically play the imperialist powers against eachother, dividing them, thus weakening them.
An analogy can be made regarding the strategy of China and the states loosely aligned with them. They've showed openness towards further cooperation with the European powers, possibly dividing them and the Americans, rather than adopting an aggressive posture and surely uniting the imperialist states in opposition to them. They, with the ever more erratic nature of the U.S., have an excellent opportunity to isolate Washington from the rest of the Western bloc. Why would we want them to throw away that opportunity? In fact, we must, in full force, support the furthering of diplomatic, econ
Looking for books on post-Soviet Eastern Europe, anyone have any recommendations?
Generally just books on post '91 Eastern Europe. Could be analysis of the effects of shock therapy, wars, etc. Just want it to be from a Marxist point of view. If you have any good books on this but they aren't made by Marxists, that's fine as well.
The DPRK supplies the Palestinian resistance with weapons
Photos show North Korean serial numbers. The red band also indicates Korean production.
Thought this was very cool and wanted to share
How did so many "undesirables" get into top political posts in the USSR?
Khrushchev, Beria, Yezhov, etc. It really feels like they didn't do much quality control, if at all. I know Stalin was, contrary to popular belief, quite trusting. Especially in regards to Bukharin and the likes. But it's not like he had the power to really kill anyone he wanted, again contrary to popular belief, even if he wanted to (at least any politburo members), so his personal views of his colleagues don't matter.
How 18-24 year olds voted in the German election
I'm sure Palestine played a big role in this
Anyone here wanna be friends, at least online?
Looking to find if anyone here wants to become friends. I'm gonna leave my Discord and Steam name down bellow in the spoiler. If you don't want to use/can't use those, you can just message me here on Lemmygrad, or just under this post. If you just want to message/talk to eachother, that's okay. I'm just looking to make a friend or two, if possible. Gonna add some information about myself so you know what you're dealing with (e.g, my timezone..): Pretty lonely, kind of sad. Been in and out of the psych ward/psychiatric clinic (I don't know what the proper term is) for related reasons. I'm a youngen (i.e, underage). My timezone is UTC +2, so if you live in NY, it'd be 12:00 when it's 19:00 for me. Thought it was important to leave that here.
I promised: ::: spoiler Discord: frederickangelxcarlmarcyaoi; Steam: khamasparaglider. I'll add that, I have 43€ in my steam wallet, so if you have a game that I don't, I can just buy it. This applies vice versa too.
::: Know this post is kind
How to "deprogram" people?
It just feels so hard. People constantly complain about their material conditions, yet when someone comes to them with Marx-Engels, they immediately brush it off. They are more keen on falling to mysticism and far-right ideology, in regards to "solutions". I know you cannot convince people by debating them, you can only make yourself feel good when you "win", but otherwise you are likely only making them less likely to latch on to socialism. Still, I don't know how to approach this. How do I convince them? Do I constantly, in every conversation about how the grocery prices are too high, mention the theories of Marx? Do I just sit around until they, on their own accord, pick up Capital or even just the Manifesto?
Whaddoido?
books on medieval history?
nothing else to add
I thought Cuba was loved by compatible left types?
Why aren't there any "CHINA COLLAPSE IN 5 DAYS!1!1!2!" for the UK and other kkkrakkkerite nations
God I love when libs make up ideologies. Like, what the fuck is "putinism"?
Books/resources on CIA stay-behind organisations in the soviet union?
I know there was a decent amount of terrorists attacks by CIA backed militias in the post war period, but besides that i know next to nothing. I really only know of the forest brothers
Buddying up with the 'greatest threat to democracy'
The democrats don't actually care about fascism!?
Shocker
Muslims won't vote for the people who kill their relatives 😦😦😦😱
How come the Baltic states' population is so much more anti-communist than the rest of the former Soviet states?
It's not like they have had weak socialist movements.
in Estonia the Bolsheviks got 40 percent of the vote during the 1917 elections. The Latvians had their famous riflemen. In the 1920s there were active underground communist organisations in all three of the baltic states.
Now all of that is forgotten. They've managed to rewrite history so efficiently and without opposition. The new generation openly praises fascist despots like Ulmanis, Smetona and Päts. The fascist despots of all three respective states were not exactly the most popular rulers. After all, why do you think their house of cards collapsed so easily in 1940?
Also, it was not like the communist were the only ones in opposition to them either -- many social democrats, liberals and members of the national bourgeois were in opposition to the rule of Päts in Estonia, Ulmanis in Latvia and Smetona in Lithuania (mos
We need to sink the Netherlands
The crimes of the D*tch have gone too unnoticed. Have you ever noticed how it's called the NETHERlands, as in the Minecraft dimension, the dimension that is actually based of of HELL? Drown you demon spawn!