How Estonia is setting the bar for ‘smart defense’: Interview with Mart Laar

In April 2011, Mart Laar became Estonia’s Minister of Defense. For some analysts in the field of Baltic politics, it looked like a somewhat surprising move by the high-profile Estonian statesman. Many questions were asked aloud on whether or not the country’s former Prime Minister – a politician with a distinctly conservative political stance – was going to succeed in his new capacity, a much narrower role compared to what he held before. Almost a year since his appointment to the Defense Ministry, The Baltic Times talked to Dr. Laar about his involvement in framing Estonia’s contemporary defense policy.