Waging Peace:  Estonia

A Conflict Prevention Initiative

To prevent tensions between the one-third Russian-speaking population and the majority Estonian population,  a series of six dialogue workshops on ethnicity, nationalism, and political change were convened from April 1994 to April 1996 in Estonia. The project was a collaboration of the Conflict Resolution Program at The Carter Center, the Center for the Study of Mind and Human Interaction at the University of Virginia, and the Institute of International and Social Sciences in Tallinn.

The workshops provided a nonthreatening, unofficial space for the parties to speak openly about their differences, with The Carter Center and CSMHI staff as neutral third parties to facilitate discussions between the groups. The groups consisted of parliamentarians, ambassadors, academics, and other influential leaders from Russia and Estonia.

When Estonia gained independence in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, it found itself with a large Russian minority, many of whom were brought to Estonia under Stalin to work in the factories in the northeast or who were with the Soviet military. Few of the Russian-speakers learned Estonian and acculturated into Estonian society. With independence, Estonians were faced with transformations at every level of society – political, economic, and social. There was also the issue of what role Russia would play in the new Estonia. Russian troops were still on Estonian soil when the Carter Center's initiative began in 1994.

The workshops provided leaders from both communities in Estonia and leaders from Russia an unofficial venue to express their hopes, fears, and possible solutions for a peaceful and productive future. Key concerns included integration of the Russian-speaking community into Estonian society, the presence of Russian troops in Estonia (they withdrew in late 1994), and the preservation of both languages and cultures. In 1995, Estonian and Russian-speaking university students joined the workshops to contribute the perspective of the younger generation. The group focused on breaking the negative cycle of stereotypes about each other that had been transmitted from one generation to the next.

One of the most important results of this intimate and repeated interaction was the evolution of a cohesive network of high-level participants representing practically all ages, ethnic groups, professions, and political ideologies in Estonia as well as various ministries, districts, Duma committees, and professions in Russia. Through the Carter Center/CSMHI dialogue process, parliamentarians, government officials, scholars, professionals, and students gradually altered their previous conceptions of both "us" and "them" and are now ready to apply their energy, experience, and insights to broader public initiatives.