George Rebane

We landed in Tallinn, Estonia about noon today after a short flight up from Frankfurt, Germany on Estonian Air (Boeing 737).  This completes a circuit I started in 1944.  The perfect hosts Hans and Gitta had breakfast ready for us at 630am, and then drove us to the airport on Sunday morning traffic-free streets and autobahns.  We said temporary good-byes since we will see them again before we come home.

(Yesterday our hosts organized a perfect Teutonic tourist terror tour of Frankfurt.  I didn’t know it was possible to see so much on trams rides interspersed with forced marches led and paced by Gitta.  At times I thought that Peter would pop his newly emplaced stent, at other times I thought I could use one.   Here we – l to r, Helga, Gitta looking at camera, Hans, Fatso, Jo Ann – are smiling in front of the doors of the old city hall where Gitta and Hans were married over forty years ago.  Don’t believe your lying eyes; inside I am trying to think of the German equivalent of 911 on my cell phone.  Hans at 66 still plays soccer and Gitta was a Wehrmacht drill sergeant in a previous life 😉  In sum, it was a wonderful day.)

Estonia seems to live up to its press as a modern very western European country that just happens to be located in northeastern Europe.  Having already entered the EU through Germany, we didn’t need to go through passport or customs when we arrived since Estonia is both a member of the EU and NATO (with troops in the mid-east conflicts).  It was as easy as flying from Sacramento to Seattle.

But before starting the Estonia log, I have to close out last night in Germany.  Another couple whom we have known for some time – Manfred and Irmgard – came for the BBQ dinner and talk.  For the topic of the evening Hans asked me to pose my question about the EU’s lack of a military to the entire group.  The answer(s) that came back were both surprising and disturbing.

Here’s the short form.  What is the EU doing to build up the ability to project force so that it can defend its interests around the world including eastern Europe since the US – especially with a likely new and left-wing Executive and Congress – promises to begin reducing our military involvements, commitments, and capabilities?  Detail – the EU economy is now the biggest in the world, and many powers (Russia, Islam, and China) are looking forward to taking advantage of the EU as the US tires of being the champion of western civilization while having to pay for its own guns, bullets, and body bags.

The answers started with
• No one has told us that the US would ever quit doing its now-traditional duty to keep us safe – if they ever did, then we would have to start thinking about building up an EU military.  But, boy, would it be hard because each EU nation always wants to go its own way on everything.
• Since WW2, we Germans have always thought that no one wanted us to ever have the ability to project force again.  That’s what we have taught three generations of our kids.  We really don’t think you mean it when you ask us to build up a modern military with transport and logistics capabilities.  (Today the Wehrmacht would have to hitchhike if it wanted to invade Poland let alone Russia.)

… and progressed to
• Aren’t Obama and McCain really the same as far as foreign policy is concerned, and, moreover, we have never been able to tell the difference between the Republicans and Democrats.  Besides you guys have always been there for us and allowed us to build up our economies and social programs without having to waste money on military things.
• When I reminded them that we and our media follow their elections and political swings, they responded that our politics are too boring and last too long to follow.  Fussball (soccer tournaments) is much more interesting and competes successfully with news of world events, and since we cannot do anything about it, why worry?

… and concluded with
• We really believe that we can solve all problems with diplomacy.  Why would anyone want to fight us or do us harm if just keep our noses to the grindstone?  We aren’t sure that Russia, China, and Islam really mean it when they threaten to eat our lunch and make us work for theirs.
• And if that doesn’t work, well then, we’re not prepared and, at this point, don’t really care to think about such geo-political and geo-cultural contingencies.  We are prepared to work on global issues such as climate change and contribute our technology to such, and fervently hope that Russia, China, and Islam will see value in that and not mess us up.

So there you have it, dear Reader, the fourth biggest economy, Germany, is saying that she and the rest of the EU don’t really care about the fate of western civilization and who will rule them in the coming decades – ‘We hate to see it go, but if the US considers the west worth preserving, then keep doing what you’ve been doing.’  It was a very friendly yet frank exchange that ended just before midnight so Jo Ann and I could get up for our date with Estonian Air early the next morning.  I would welcome your thoughts on this European mindset and any ideas about our own response to it.

Meanwhile back in Estonia.  We rented a new Opel sedan at the Tallinn airport and made our way into the city.  Jo Ann had booked us into a family run B&B which we found after wandering our way through a neat quarter of single family homes and small apartment houses.  It appears that, as in most of Europe, street signs are at a premium here and the natives walking the streets are equally uninformed about places out of eye-shot.

Speaking of or to the natives.  We’re having fun when we approach someone for directions or buy something or … .   Jo Ann leads in English which is no problem since almost everyone is conversant in the language.  Then I sidle up, listen, and start offering clarifying remarks or answering their questions in Estonian.  Then their surprise is followed by either the conversation converting completely to Estonian or their continuing an attempt to be polite to Jo Ann and answering in English while I continue in Estonian.

After getting settled in the B&B we drove to downtown (3km), parked, and walked into the famous ‘old town’ quarter with buildings – here the old city hall dating to 1200s – that date back 800 years when Tallinn became the northern most outpost of the very commercial Hanseatic League.  Jo Ann suggested that we have authentic ethnic Estonian food, so we got directed to the ‘Boar Snout Saloon’ in Old Town and had a delightful time ordering our dinner that started with literally awesome Estonian beer and dark breads.  Jo Ann ordered a hearty cabbage, barley, and lamb soup.  I ordered blood sausage, sauerkraut, and potatoes.  My mom could have shown the kitchen crew a thing or two, and it’s clear that commercial Estonian cuisine – designed to keep hardworking farmers and tradesmen going in the cold – will never be the tourist draw up here or anyplace else.  Their (can I here say ‘our’?) strong suits are all forms of musical (choral, orchestral, dance) and graphic arts, and information technology.  Tallinn is the home of the international cyber-warfare institution that now draws computer and network scientists and engineers from all over the world, most notably the US spook agencies.

It’s past 11pm and it’s totally light outside; our bodies have been fooled by the northern sun, but now we’re pooped.