Pandering to ethnic nationalism

The furore regarding Russia's so-called cyber-war tactics against Estonia makes for sensational headlines. Raising the bogeyman of an insurgent and beligerant Russia certainly makes better copy than exposing the extreme nationalism and institutional racism of many post-Soviet states.

Ethnic Russians, deprived of citizenship, language rights and employment in Estonia and Latvia, enjoy no sympathy from the West's media, still enthralled by the notion of these plucky states standing squarely against the might of Russia. This attitude of course ignores the realignment which has given these states the means to recover economically whilst failing to impose the norms expected of other EU states as regards protecting minorities.

Rampant national chauvinism an demotic right-wing posturing is ignored when manifested in Europe's newest states.

Comments

Antonvv said…
If ethnic russians in baltic states really suffer from "deprived of citizenship, language rights and employment", when, why they are still there and not in their mother-country, which is really suffering from demografic problems, easternisation, and lack of qualified specialists?

sorry for my english
24 May 2007 at 12:10
Owen Polley said…
Because that is now there home.

The western norm is not to view ethnic minorities within EU states as an inconvenience to be sent back to their ethnic homeland.

Whenever Russian minorities in the Baltic states and other ex-Soviet Republics are at question, these liberal values seem to go out the window. There is a double standard at work, and that double standard is dictated by prejudice against Russians and suspicion of their home country.
29 May 2007 at 13:54
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