ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Espionage, Intelligence, and Security Volume ...

Estonia, Intelligence and Securityespecially the United States, with a field of language andculture experts.By the dawn of the twentieth century, espionage hadevolved into a highly specialized, technical field. Far fromthe battlefield and political intrigue of the ancient world,modern espionage involves more research and analysisthan field operations. Specialized military units are stillused for strategic intelligence, but most nations havedeveloped large, centralized, civilian intelligence communitiesthat conduct operations in wartime and peacetimewith increasing technological sophistication.❚ FURTHER READING:BOOKS:Boardman, John, Jasper Griffen, and Oswyn Murray. OxfordHistory of the Classical World. New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 1986.Holmes, George. Oxford History of Medieval Europe. NewYork: Oxford University Press, 1988.SEE ALSOCryptology, HistoryNapoleonic Wars, Espionage DuringRevolutionary War, Espionage and IntelligenceWar of 1812Estonia, Intelligenceand SecurityEstonia maintains one central intelligence and securityagency, the Kaitsepolitseiamet (KPol), Security PoliceBoard. The KPol administers intelligence gathering andinformation analysis, and reports its findings to theexecutive branch of the government. KPol governs severaloperational divisions, including Counterintelligence,the Security Police, the Anti-terrorism Bureau, ConstitutionalProtection Bureau, and Anti-Corruption Bureau. TheKPol’s main objective is the protection of national interestsand national sovereignty. The agency seeks bothdomestic and foreign intelligence.Estonia emerged as a modern, independent nation in1920. During World War II, however, the nation was invadedby both Soviet and German forces. After the war,Estonia fell in the Soviet sphere of influence. Estonia lostits sovereignty, becoming part of the Soviet Union for fourdecades. In 1988, the Estonian parliament decreed thenation autonomous, but Soviet forces kept the nation fromseceding for over a year. After the fall of the Berlin Walland the Iron Curtain in 1989, Estonia began the process ofregaining its status as an independent nation. The collapseof the Soviet Union in 1991 allowed Estonia to finallyreemerge as a democratic, independent nation.The move to democracy in Estonia required extensivesocial, economic, and government reform. The newEstonian government sought to dissolve any remainingSoviet institutions, most especially those that were usedas state-sponsored instruments of suppression, intendedto quell nationalism. Estonia did not maintain its ownintelligence community under Soviet rule, but had todistance its new, national intelligence agencies from thelegacy of the KGB and Soviet secret police.Corruption is a primary concern for the Estonia government.A legacy of Soviet occupation, government corruptionwas prevalent in the early 1990s. However, anticrimeand corruption task forces, as well as intelligencesurveillance of government officials, has greatly reducedthe problem. Business corruption, as well as incursionsinto the national economy by the Russian mafia, are alsotargeted by KPol intelligence operations.Today, Estonia is actively pursuing membership inseveral international organizations. Reforms have aided arapid transformation of the Estonian economy. Diplomatically,Estonia gravitates toward Europe, but maintains tieswith neighboring Russia.SEE ALSOCold War (1945–1950), The Start of the Atomic AgeCold War (1950–1972)Cold War (1972–1989): The Collapse of the Soviet UnionEuropean UnionEuropean Union❚ ADRIENNE WILMOTH LERNERThe European Union (EU) is a long-standing political andeconomic federation of autonomous European nations.With the consent of member states, the EU legislates avariety of issues by treaty, including trade, customs, travel,currency, and defense. Members choose to participate invarious EU institutions, delegating sovereignty in order toachieve common goals.The organization embraces democracy and the ruleof law, requiring member states to possess some form ofrepresentative government, elected by universal adultsuffrage of the adult citizenry. The mission of the EU is topromote economic growth in Europe, create a stronginternational market, lobby for European interests in theinternational community, raise standards of living, andpromote peace.History. European integration, the process that eventuallyyielded the EU, began on May 9, 1950, when France420 Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security