National Power. Options for The Republic of Estonia in Case of a Pandemic

Abstract

The present paper looks at a purely hypothetical situation where the government of the Republic of Estonia has received information that the World Health Organization has declared the start of an influenza pandemic. The government starts looking for ways to use all means of power it has to protect the population. The foreign policy goals in this situation can be summarized as supporting neighboring countries through sharing expertise when possible, monitoring the actions of Russia which there is general distrust towards, being an equal partner of shared values to the Nordic countries, and negotiating with vaccine producers while looking for any solutions that might make vaccines attainable for more countries. The strength of Estonia lies in using soft power instruments. The country can use its image as a link between Scandinavia and Eastern Europe to act as a bridge to the ideas and values of health protection. Estonia can also share expertise in fields like ICT. Complicated relations with Russia are not easy to overcome even for humanitarian causes which suggests the necessity of active involvement in international initiatives. To enlarge the vaccine supply, Estonia is again likely to benefit from international cooperation. Richer states and international organizations can perceive Estonia as wishing to subdue to their own soft power by following their example of inoculating the populace.

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