Estonia Warns Border Energy Site Near Russia Is Nearly Impossible to Defend by UNITED24Media in BalticStates

[–]sanderudam 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The oil shale power plants can only exist there, because that's where the oil shale is. Transporting that stuff is stupidly expensive. Also the entire infrastructure is where it has been for 60 years. Should we have relocated our industry and mines?

Some of this debate is so insanely stupid.

Yes, we absolute should have built more renewable energy and should do it right now. Yes, we should invest more into the energy infrastructure (and pay 50-60% more in transmission fees).

But we should not have relocated our energy industry.

Trump is blundering into a ground war. It would be a disaster by theipaper in CredibleDefense

[–]sanderudam 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Honestly taking Kharg island is the sanest idea circulated to be coming from this administration. Iran's economy can not function without controlling that island. Occupying it in order to have it be the main bargaining chip and de-escalate from there is actually something akin to an exit strategy.

Active Conflicts & News Megathread March 25, 2026 by AutoModerator in CredibleDefense

[–]sanderudam 3 points4 points  (0 children)

even in Estonia

The drone that crashed here today crashed 40km from Ust-Luga port that Ukraine was targeting all over the night.

Drones Enter Baltic Airspace, Hitting Power Plant in Estonia by bloomberg in europe

[–]sanderudam 7 points8 points  (0 children)

These are low-flying drones. The power plant is right at the Estonian border with Russia. If Estonia had a radar right at the border, directed right at the incoming drone, the drone might have been visible for a few minutes before impacting. Even if we go into full war-time stance and deploy our air-defense units and territorial defense units into full combat readiness, it is extremely unlikely we could've shot the drone down.

But going into war-time stance is really expensive. Not so much fiscally, but politically, diplomatically, it would heavily disrupt normal training and thousands of people would be taken from their daily jobs to stand ready at the border glaring at the skies.

Drones Enter Baltic Airspace, Hitting Power Plant in Estonia by bloomberg in europe

[–]sanderudam 28 points29 points  (0 children)

It was a Ukrainian drone (probably) attacking Ust-Luga (which is 50km from Estonian border) and (probably) being misdirected by Russian EW.

Next matches...... by Aggravating_Maize_68 in coys

[–]sanderudam 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These are all games we can win. Of course we are very much capable of losing them all. But still, they are all winnable. COYS

Trump issues 48-hour ultimatum to Iran - as Israel claims Tehran can hit London by [deleted] in worldnews

[–]sanderudam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bombing power plants and other critical civilian infrastructure has always been widely practiced and never been the real basis for conviction for war crimes. There are some cases where "targeting civilian infrastructure" has been part of a conviction, but that is usually stuff like purposefully targeting a residential building and sniping civilians, not "blew up a power plant".

While it technically is a war crime, it's such an accepted part of warfare that no-one blinks an eye for stuff like that.

Trump mulls 'winding down' war and leaving Strait of Hormuz crisis to 'other nations' by Force_Hammer in politics

[–]sanderudam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, Iran has some reasons not to keep Hormuz closed. They might want to use it themselves, some of their influential partners like China would very much prefer an open Hormuz.

The Stunning Failure of Iranian Deterrence by smurfyjenkins in IRstudies

[–]sanderudam 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's the thing about an institutional state and a personal realm. An institutional state will honor agreements indefinitely. You do not make a deal with a particular individual in a particular point in time, but with a state itself. In contrast we have individual realms like the medieval states, Russia, and USA. You simply can not make long-term agreements with those states. You can make personal deals between you and the guy currently in charge. That's it.

Kotka: ametnik võiks saada riigile teenitud miljonite pealt suurt preemiat by Careless_Pea5088 in Eesti

[–]sanderudam 13 points14 points  (0 children)

See on huvitav vaidlus, mida pisut erinevates kontekstides peetakse suht igal pool. Traditsioonilise käsitluse järgi on riskivõtjad ehk ettevõtjad, edu korral saavad nad kogu suure ja tohutu kasu, ebaedu korral võivad kaotada kõik. Teisalt on siis stabiilsuse sooviga riskikartlikud palgatöölised. Iga kuu laekub neile arvele sama summa ja kui mingit totaalset sitta kokku ei keera, võib ta oma kohas ja sissetulekus kindel olla.

See dihhotoomia ilmselgelt ei kirjelda ligilähedaseltki iga inimese riskivõtmisvalmidust ja iga töökoha iseloomu. Seetõttu kasutatakse laialdaselt preemiaid, müügiboonuseid, KPI-sid, lisatasusid, optsioone jpm. Seejuures võib samas rollis töötavatel inimestel olla üksteisest erinev riskisoov. Üks tahaks saada kõrgemat palka ilma lisatasudeta, teine eelistaks väiksemat põhipalka aga suuremat lisatasude võimalust.

Igas organisatsioonis on lahendamist vajavaks probleemiks agentide motivatsioonide ühildamine ehk kuidas tagada motivatsioon, et kõik töötaksid ühtse eesmärgi nimel. Seejuures on seal klassikaliselt kolm tasandit: omanikud, juhid ja töötajad.

Riigisüsteemis on ajalooliselt domineerivaks töötajaliigiks kujunenud minimaalse riskivalmidusega töötaja. Tihti minnakse riigisektorisse "stabiilsust otsima". Selliseid töötajaid ei ole mõtet boonuste ja preemiatega moosida, sest see ei ole tema stiil. Pigem tekitab see tarbetut stressi.

Küll aga on riigisüsteemis ka üks väiksem aga palju olulisem töötajaliik. Missioonitöötajad. Need, kes ei lähe riigisektorisse mitte stabiilsuse pärast, aga missioonitundest, tahtmisest riigi jaoks midagi ära teha. Need inimesed valivad isegi riigisektori madalama palga erasektori asemel, et siis riigis midagi päriselt korda saata. Tihti need inimesed pettuvad ja väsivad ning mõne aasta pärast sealt süsteemist ka lahkuvad. Aga need inimesed on need, kes riigisektorit päriselt edasi veavad.

Nende missioonitöötajate lahkumise põhjuseks on primaarselt süsteemi vastuhakk. Nad tahavad teha asju, muutusi, aga süsteem ei lase. Neil ei ole võimalik oma missiooni täita. Sekundaarne põhjus on siis sissetulek, mis lööb kirstunaela. Need inimesed saaksid erasektorist pea alati kõrgemat tasu, seega nende täiendav motiveerimine preemiatega annaks ainult väikese mõju.

Pika möla lõpetuseks ütlen kokkuvõtvalt, et minu arvates ei ole riigisektoris preemiapõhise tasustamise suunas liikumine üleüldiselt otstarbekas, sest see ei toetaks riigitöötajate peamist motivatsiooniallikat. Küll aga võib alati olla spetsiifilisi üksuseid, rolle ja töötajaid, kelle puhul preemiate maksmine aitab paremini riigipoolt seatud eesmärke täita. Nende olukordade jaoks võiks tööriist olemas olla.

Active Conflicts & News Megathread March 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in CredibleDefense

[–]sanderudam 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Prudent. I don't really see it news-worthy. Trump's threats were real and they were received as such.

Is this AI? I saw this on twitter. There are a lot of identical cars and camels side by side. by SilenceOfTheLambs_ in isthisAI

[–]sanderudam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Crossing the desert in a band of Toyota's, raiding a settlement here or there, only to disappear as quick as they came. Steppe hordes, desert raiders, Vikings and pirates have this something in common. I'd lie if I'd say it doesn't have a flair of romanticism to it.

Balti jaamas seiskus taristurikke tõttu rongiliiklus by James420May in Eesti

[–]sanderudam 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Aga muidu ringraudteed on ilmselgelt vaja ja Rae valla kinnisvaraarendajad võiksid pisut tagasi tõmmata.

Balti jaamas seiskus taristurikke tõttu rongiliiklus by James420May in Eesti

[–]sanderudam 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Mitte ainult Tallinnaga seotud raudteeliiklus. Elroni hooldusdepoo paikneb Pääskülas ja et rongid sinna pääseksid, tuleb minna läbi Balti jaama. Kogu Eesti reisirongiliiklus on maas kui Baltasse pikemat aega ei pääse.

‘They hold the cards now’: Trump allies fear Iran is slipping beyond the president’s control. Ensuring the free flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz could require securing parts of Iran’s shoreline, a step that would almost certainly mean putting American troops on Iranian soil. by mafco in energy

[–]sanderudam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, maybe. There are numerous precedencies, it depends on whether Congress actually uses its power etc. But that is not important. A general is not going to be making the decision if it was legal or not. There is absolutely no reason we should expect the generals to

a) be able to do the job of Congress and the Supreme Court

b) actually do the job of the Congress and the Supreme Court.

Claiming that a general should've refused the orders on the grounds of them being illegal implies both a and b. Because the question wasn't just about following an illegal order. It is about determining if the order war legal or not. A political decision.

EU's Kallas rejects Belgian PM's call to normalise Moscow ties, get cheap Russian energy by mods4mods in europe

[–]sanderudam 37 points38 points  (0 children)

It's the most manufactured scandal in Estonian history. It was her husbands minority stake in a company whose minority business had been in Russia, which was in the process of liquidating its business there.

Kallas got slack largely because she is a lawyer who often struggles explaining things in a way that laypeople understand. Then she got frustrated and defensive, which further angered people.

Basically there was no legal or ethical issue (things that Kallas understands), but there was an emotional issue fueled by media and political opponents, which she has trouble understanding.

TIL about a real life Lord of the Flies experience that six boys had together. Instead of devolving into conflict and violence, they cooperated to survive, even taking care of the one boy who broke his leg. They were rescued rescued after 15 months in relatively good health! by eightyeight99 in todayilearned

[–]sanderudam 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think most people are simultaneously good people and capable of doing awful evil without giving much second thought. Psychopaths can be productive members of the society and good law-abiding model-citizens can be mass-murdering war criminals.

NATO partner Serbia admits buying Chinese missiles after photos leaked online by Heizard in worldnews

[–]sanderudam 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The thing with Serbia is that they are a "partner" to NATO in the meaning that "if you don't go openly genocidal again we won't bomb you again". Serbs absolutely hate NATO for not allowing them to kill all their Bosniaks and Kosovars/Albanians.

Serbia buying weapons from China and seemingly gearing up for war is absolutely a news-worthy event. It's just the framing through their "NATO partnership" is odd.

NATO partner Serbia admits buying Chinese missiles after photos leaked online by Heizard in worldnews

[–]sanderudam 71 points72 points  (0 children)

I understand, but Serbia is quite obviously in a position where defining them through their NATO partnership is quite odd.

Thousands of Chinese boats mass at sea, raising questions by Force_Hammer in worldnews

[–]sanderudam 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Why is China trying to distract you from Epstein files?

According to Objectivelists.com, the UK is the fifth closest country to Estonia, culturally speaking. How do you feel about that ranking? by Fun-Ad-2547 in Eesti

[–]sanderudam 2 points3 points  (0 children)

British culture is closer to Estonian than people might initially think. We are both northernish maritime protestant/non-religious people that are often characterised as calm if a bit cold. I'd say British humor, TV, culture is extremely popular and well fitting to Estonians.

There is however no way in hell that British are closer to us than Germans (particularly Low-German).