Good friends recently told us that their young son turned off the TV because the news was frightening him. He’s not the only one who has been scared. Georgia and South Ossetia may be a long way from Estonia, but even so we follow the Georgian conflict with a chill up our spines. Why?
- Slippery Language: Russia has stated that its reason for invading Georgia is to protect Russian Nationals who are being threatened there. While the status of Russian Nationals in Georgia may in fact be critical, the language is very slippery and could be used in other, less deserving situations as well … say Eastern Estonia, where the population is largely ethnically Russian. Can Russia invade a sovereign nation simply in order to protect its citizens? Who defines what constitutes a “threat” and is there a forum for determining whether force is in fact a justifiable response? At what point does “ethnic tension” (common to any multi-ethnic nation) translate to “ethnic threat”.
- Crying Wolf: Both Russia and Georgia are accused by the other of “ethnic cleansing”. Like the term “Axis of Evil” or “War on Terror”, the free use of this accusation has the dual effect of influencing popular opinion via hyperbolic headlines and simultaneously diluting the power of important and specific language to accurately identify the “real thing” and to prompt an appropriate response in the future.
- Loss of Moral Highground: This is not the first time that a large powerful nation has taken unilateral, pre-emtive military action while disregarding the world’s calls for calm and diplomacy. When the US ambassador to the UN recently condemned Russia’s military activity in Georgia - in particular attacks against civilians - the Russian ambassador fired back that such statements were entirely unacceptable coming from the US given its own military activities. Not long ago, America was in a position to make such statements but because of our hasty and miscalculated actions in the Middle East, we have relinquished the moral high-ground and given the world a new excuse for war with the doctrine of “unilateral pre-emtive strike”.
- Appeasing the Beast: Both Europe and the US have a vested interest in keeping Russia happy and have slow-footed and acquiesced on similar issues in the past. Based soley on the fact that Russia switched sides in World War II, they were allowed in the time of Stalin to get away with mass deportations and atrocious war crimes against their “near neighbors” with nothing more than a hand slap from the West. When economic interests and self-preservation trump “the right thing to do” osteoporosis begins to erode the spine of world’s “strong nations”. With Russia’s oil and gas resources helping to fuel the energy hungry first-world, nuclear armament still an open question, and a NATO trump card always up their sleeve, Russia is confident that it can keep the US and Europe walking on egg-shells while it makes its own rules in the rest of the world.
Taken together, such facts appear to some of Eastern Europe’s small and recently independent nations as “a cloud the size of a man’s fist”. No wonder people are shuddering.
For more clear thinking and analysis on the current situation, let me reference another expat (of another stripe) living in Tartu: To Die for Danzig?
Lea and I are happy to post the biggest announcement this website has ever seen. Over the weekend we doubled our family size!
On Friday June 20th, we brought home Kevin Markus (3) and Miriam Anne (1) to join the Edminster household. We have been visiting the kids for the last three weeks awaiting permission from various departments to bring them home. During that time we were able to get to know a bit about their personalities and develop affection and a basis of trust.
Kevin is a happy little boy with a healthy adventurous streak. We’ve run him through the Edminster gauntlet of nibbling, wrestling and general rough-housing and he’s emerged with a smile on his face asking for more. He is very clever and has been picking up both Estonian (from his mom) and English (from his dad) quickly and seems to be a wiz at puzzles and books. At three Kevin is exploring his new world, identifying what is his and what is not and is exerting his independence. We’re happy all this is happening under our roof!
Miriam is a goofy little primadonna who loves to be the center of attention. She is a compulsive smiler and when she’s fed and dry, she will laugh at almost anything including herself, though she also knows how to play hard-to-get. Her favorite play things are her feet and anything she can quickly stuff into her near-toothless mouth. When not otherwise occupied, she’s content to scratch her fingernails on any textured surface she can find. Miriam is just beginning to toddle around but has about a month to go before she starts walking so we’re soaking up this moment of relative calm before the storm.
Lea and I are very glad to be rearranging our lives, habits and schedules around these little people. We’ve been looking forward to this day for a good while and it seems that God has done his best to match us with a pair of kids who fit in all the best ways. Praise Him!
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