One may ask how this is compatible with the widely accepted notion that Estonia is a ‘nation-state’, which usually denotes territory that is ruled in the name of a community of citizens who see themselves as a nation. This core group claims the state as belonging to them and declares their right to self-determination.
Most Estonians, if asked, probably take the above as their personal position. We would likewise also agree with a more general geo-political definition, that a nation-state is simply a politically sovereign country or administrative territory.
But the European fringe right interprets the first definition from the most ethnocentric, restrictive viewpoint. In contrast, the far-left states that nation states inhibit minorities from protecting their heritage.
Estonians know that their notion of a nation-state derives from a need for survival as a distinct people, not a need to dominate. It’s a justified response to the historic threat of Russification.
(Pikemalt saab lugeda Eesti Elu 28. juuli 2023 paber- ja digilehest)
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