16.01.26 OPINION ... For some time now, China has been quietly making inroads into Russia's Far Eastern territories, Harri Tiido notes.

15.01.26 OPINION ... Over the past six years, Estonians have lost millions to Smart-ID phishing scams. While victims are often blamed for being careless, the real problem lies in the design choices made by banks and the Smart-ID system.

14.01.26 OPINION ... This time, Harri Tiido's focus is on international law and deal-based diplomacy. Donald Trump has used his position for significant personal enrichment and to him, international relations are just business deals, Tiido notes.

13.01.26 OPINION ... While the Riigikogu can, of course, work on improving the presidential election procedure, attention should also be paid to the nearly 80 other draft bills still pending, Külli Taro notes in her daily commentary on Vikerraadio.

13.01.26 OPINION ... Far, far away lay a kingdom that had enjoyed years of harmony with all its neighbors. The peaceful era ended with a breathless messenger bursting into the throne room, breaking all protocol.

12.01.26 OPINION ... We must put an end to the practice of punishing people with addiction instead of giving them the help they need. But those who supply or sell drugs to others must face strict punishment for endangering lives, health and futures, writes Liisa Pakosta.

12.01.26 OPINION ... In many rural areas, life has been at a standstill for so long and so many homes have been abandoned that, unsurprisingly, people have lost their optimism about the future, writes Kadri Inselberg.

09.01.26 OPINION ... Under the understanding of classical international law, the United States' actions in Venezuela were illegal, Reform Party MP Eerik-Niiles Kross writes.

07.01.26 OPINION ... In addition to its practical efforts to foment chaos, Russia also has a penchant for giving everything a scientific gloss, something it does through the Valdai Discussion Club, notes Harri Tiido.

05.01.26 OPINION ... Estonia could fund healthcare more wisely by linking preventive care participation to health insurance contributions and co-payment rates. Even an employer whose workforce actively engages in prevention could receive a modest tax incentive, writes Ain Aaviksoo.

05.01.26 OPINION ... A deeper and more integrated capital market in Europe could benefit Estonian startups and provide funding for the expansion of existing businesses. Deregulation and cutting red tape could also help Estonian companies, writes Karsten Staehr.

02.01.26 OPINION ... The Estonian people have coped with everything; the hardest years of suffering are now behind us, and we will also get through a magnificent 2026, Kaupo Meiel told Vikerraadio in a tongue-in-cheek piece.

02.01.26 OPINION ... The more difficult conditions, the more important a lighthouse becomes — and Estonia is our beacon, Riigikogu President Lauri Hussar said in his New Year's Day address.

01.01.26 OPINION ... The first quarter of the 21st century is all but behind us. What should we take with us into the next 25 years? Let us say more nice things and look at one another with kinder eyes, President Alar Karis said in his annual end of year speech.

31.12.25 NEWS ... "A state is born like a child: with pain and hardship — but also of love," President Lennart Meri said on New Year's Eve 1992. Here's what other presidents have said each year.

31.12.25 OPINION ... It would be fascinating to see the look on Lucien Olivier's face if he were served a plate of today's Olivier salad — that is, potato salad, writes Aimar Ventsel.

31.12.25 OPINION ... After the Social Democrats left the government, the so-called defense tax was reduced to nothing more than a VAT hike, which was changed from temporary to permanent. This is unfair and pushes Estonia's middle class into poverty, writes Lauri Läänemets.

30.12.25 OPINION ... Modern libraries do more than house books — as Ukraine shows, they defend freedom, build communities and can even save lives, writes Crisis Research Center CEO Hannes Nagel.

29.12.25 OPINION ... History shows that Russian imperialism and aggression must never be ignored, but actively encouraging the Kremlin is sheer folly. And that is exactly what the United States is doing under President Donald Trump's leadership, writes Jüri Saar.

27.12.25 OPINION ... Nearly every Estonian industrial firm can, step by step, resolve its bigger customer problems or do so more efficiently. Then, by raising both prices and profits, it can create higher added value, writes Andri Haran, head of the Federation of Estonian Engineering Industry (Eesti Masinatööstuse Liit).

25.12.25 OPINION ... Our heart is indeed the manger of Bethlehem, where through love there is room for the Christ Child and for all others for whom we open our heart, head of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELK) Archbishop Urmas Viilma said.

24.12.25 OPINION ... Elves are calling us to our senses and bringing hope with them. Every time we use insults to express our views about the other side, an elf dies. That's a fact. It makes no difference whether we say something crude or wrap it in irony, whether we outright call someone an idiot or brand them a destroyer of Estonia — somewhere, an elf packs it in and our lives get just a bit worse, writes Peep Ehasalu.

22.12.25 OPINION ... This spirit hovers over the hoped-for peace agreement, wafts from both Moscow and Washington, reshapes the global security order, legitimizes war and war crimes and rehabilitates Putin the war criminal, writes Ülo Mattheus in a commentary originally published in Sirp.

20.12.25 OPINION ... Isamaa, the Center Party and EKRE have yet to grow into the oversized shoes left behind by the Reform Party. Rather than a conservative triumph or long-term dominance, a turbulent era lies ahead, argues Tõnis Saarts in his Vikerraadio daily commentary.

19.12.25 OPINION ... International organizations may not disappear, but their role and use are shifting, the gap between words and actions is widening and behind it all lie not only international but also domestic developments, Harri Tiido notes.

18.12.25 OPINION ... Western leaders risk overlooking a battlefield far from the front lines: the minds of Ukrainian children. Russia's systematic abduction, indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian youth is not just a humanitarian crisis — it's a security threat, laying the groundwork for Moscow's next war, write Peter Pomerantsev and Maksimas Milta.

18.12.25 OPINION ... If Estonia's cities currently lack places to take shelter from Russian missile and drone attacks, then by learning from Finland and Israel's experience, it would be possible to create adequate shelter space for one million people within just two years, writes Jaanis Otsla.

16.12.25 OPINION ... Making foreign policy is a responsibility that cannot and must not be treated as if the world were a neutral space of ideas where all approaches are equally safe and without consequences. When messages begin to circulate in international media as supposedly representing Estonia's positions, when in fact they do not reflect our shared agreements, we undermine our own credibility, writes Margus Tsahkna.

16.12.25 OPINION ... In the prevailing view, foreign policy has been reductively narrowed to current security concerns, with little tolerance for any deviation from the main line set by the minister's office. This is ignorant and dangerous, writes Jaak Aaviksoo.

15.12.25 OPINION ... Estonia's survival is on the line and likely means aligning with nearly all U.S. initiatives and accommodating American business interests as much as possible. It's easier to call Donald Trump "daddy" with disgust than it is to face down another "daddy's" troops alone in Narva, writes Indrek Kiisler.

09.12.25 OPINION ... The United States' new security strategy confirms that transatlantic relations have fundamentally changed. While the U.S. remains an indispensable ally, the common ground holding the alliance together has grown thin. For Estonian foreign policy, this marks the most challenging period since the restoration of independence, writes Kristi Raik in a commentary originally published in Diplomaatia.

08.12.25 OPINION ... Affordable kindergarten spots, nutritious free school lunches and access to extracurricular activities all play a crucial role in ensuring the well-being of families and children, writes Reili Rand.

05.12.25 OPINION ... Replacing free legal counseling with a ministry chatbot is likely the worst idea of the year. Such a plan might only seem like a sensible initiative to someone who has never dealt with chatbots or the provision of legal aid, writes Kärt Pormeister in a Vikerraadio daily commentary.

05.12.25 OPINION ... Human interference in wildlife populations disrupts natural balance and simple solutions rarely resolve the complex tensions between biodiversity, lifestyles and economic interests, write University of Tartu mammalogists Maris Hindrikson, Kirke Raidmets and Egle Tammeleht.

04.12.25 OPINION ... The Center Party now needs to repay an old debt — one stemming from the fact that for 30 years, it has failed to prioritize Estonian language instruction in the municipal schools of the cities it governs, writes Erik Gamzejev in a commentary for Vikerraadio.

03.12.25 OPINION ... Universal conscription indeed has a positive effect on social cohesion, which makes public debate over citizens' language proficiency entirely appropriate. National defense, however, cannot serve as a substitute for addressing other urgent societal needs, writes Maj. Gen. Vahur Karus.

03.12.25 OPINION ... In light of the scandal surrounding Isamaa, it seems to me that the Prosecutor's Office should be disbanded. Taxpayers should not have to fund an institution whose actions the public cannot understand and which spreads fear and uncertainty in society, writes Margus Kurm.

02.12.25 OPINION ... The issue of Estonia's meager cultural budget has entered the public sphere where people from outside the sector are offering solutions that may be catchy and simple but are largely ineffective at solving the real problem, often skewing in favor of the loudest and most influential voices, writes Mari Peegel.

02.12.25 OPINION ... Expanding applied higher education at the expense of academic higher education would be a strategic mistake, says TalTech Rector Tiit Land. Applied higher education focuses on using existing technologies, but what's needed is academic higher education that generates new knowledge and technologies.

01.12.25 OPINION ... There's too little positivity in the media, people complain. Journalists should cover more beautiful things. But don't blame the media — blame ourselves, says Raul Rebane in Vikerraadio's daily commentary.

01.12.25 OPINION ... Aimar Ventsel recalls taking part in President Alar Karis' state visit to Kazakhstan and learning what kind of gift to bring along next time.

01.12.25 OPINION ... Antarctica's isolation and rich natural resources have made it a strategically important focal point amid growing great-power competition. Toomas Lukk explores how Estonia can contribute to the increasingly intense discussions surrounding the polar regions, both from scientific and political perspectives.

28.11.25 OPINION ... Both the government's and the Riigikogu's credibility are currently abysmally low, especially in the context of Estonian political culture. Media criticism and attacks from the opposition certainly contribute to this, but it's also clear that the ruling coalition parties have not done enough to explain their policy directions or ease the public's sense of uncertainty, Mari-Liis Jakobson argues in her Vikerraadio daily commentary.

28.11.25 OPINION ... The eight Nordic and Baltic countries have stressed the importance of international law and democratic values in their foreign policy, but now the liberal rules-based order is eroding, the NB8 are shifting towards a more realist approach, writes Kristi Raik, director of the Tallinn-based Center for Defense and Security.

27.11.25 OPINION ... With just one promotional video, the people of Võru have scored several catchy new taglines that are likely to echo through every trend-savvy social circle at least until Christmas — and who knows, sales of red flannel shirts at the local department store might even see a boost, writes Mirjam Mõttus in her Vikerraadio commentary.

26.11.25 OPINION ... Say what you will about the Soviet Communist Party leaders — they were no saints, but they weren't suicidal and they fully understood the catastrophic consequences of war. Their successor, Vladimir Putin, lacks such restraints, writes Peeter Kaldre.

25.11.25 OPINION ... We can't afford the luxury of rejecting private funding, whether from employers or individuals, when addressing the healthcare system's financial shortfall, writes Marja-Liisa Alop.

25.11.25 OPINION ... Beating, tormenting, stabbing, mocking, stalking, isolating loved ones, restricting them financially — in short, using any means to impose one's will — is, regrettably, widespread even in societies that see themselves as Western. Estonia is no exception, said Kersti Kaljulaid on Vikerraadio's daily commentary, calling for greater awareness and prevention of intimate partner violence.

25.11.25 OPINION ... Confusion around Estonia's cultural funding — winners and losers among theaters, pressure on expert panels and internal distrust — signals a broken system. A bigger issue is how the state uses statistics and the conclusions it draws. Estonian culture doesn't need cuts, it needs clarity, writes Riigikogu Finance Committee member Tanel Tein.

25.11.25 OPINION ... Today, half as many people die on Estonian roads per vehicle-kilometer or per number of vehicles on the road as they did 14 years ago, demonstrating that the gloomy picture being painted about poor traffic safety developments has been misleading if not outright false, writes Kaur Ilves.