HS interview Estonia got its own “philosopher king” – New President Alar Karis is one of Estonia’s most quoted scientists, and now he wants to steer his country towards a “smart state”

President Karis’ main concerns are Estonia’s internal confrontation, Russia, climate change and coronavirus infections, the growth of which has once again picked up.

Philosopher Plato once suggested that in an ideal state, leaders should be highly educated lovers of wisdom, “philosopher kings”.

According to Plato, a good leader was one who not seeking power but truth. Such rulers were, he said, the least prone to corruption.

Plato might be excited to hear about the recent president of Estonia Alar Karisista.

Karis is a rare head of state, as he has a remarkable career behind him in the world of science. He has a background in molecular and developmental biology and has been called one of the most cited scientists in Estonia.

The Estonian Parliament, or Riigikogu, elected him President at the end of August. Just a couple of weeks earlier, Karis didn’t even know he was going to be the next president.

“I didn’t play with the idea,” Karis, 63, assures as he sits cheerfully at the State Guesthouse in Munkkiniemi, Helsinki.

In Estonia the president is not elected in the same way as in Finland. There, the parties look for suitable candidates, invite them to take part in the race and finally vote on the matter in Parliament.

This was also the case for Karis, who received a call in August and eventually agreed to run as a candidate. Prior to that, he had denied in a TV interview in the spring that he was interested in the president’s plague.

In August, he was initially supported by the Center Party and the Reform Party. And finally, after the second round of voting, Karis was elected President of Estonia for a five-year term, Kersti Kaljulaidin mantle heir.

“It happened very quickly. I became president in a couple of weeks, ”says Karis.

On Tuesday, he arrived on his first state visit to Finland and met with the President, among others Sauli Niinistö At the Presidential Palace.

Read more: President Niinistö and the new President of Estonia Alar Karis assured that the corona measures have not caused any damage to the countries’ relations

Interview top Karis denies the journalist’s hint that he may be the most educated head of state on the planet.

This would fit the line, as Estonia has sought to profile itself as a highly educated nation and has overtaken Finland in school success comparisons as well. It is only natural that the president should also be remarkably highly educated.

Although Karis left scientific research decades ago, a scientist still lives inside.

“I still consider myself a scientist, and my parents were scientists too, so I have it in my genes. But I have been working in the field of government for so long that it would be difficult for me to return to the world of science. ”

Still, there may be some benefit to scientific thinking for the president as well.

“The scientist realizes that there are no yes or no answers to everything, but gray areas are left out. This is sometimes a problem for politicians who want yes or no answers. ”

Karis is a biologist with an international academic career who later became rector of the University of Tartu. Since then, he has been the Director of the State Audit Office and the Director of the Estonian National Museum.

In Estonia, his reputation is based precisely on his independent status as a high administrative official. But what is his political home?

Karis emphasizes that he comes from outside the parties and is independent in that sense.

“I’ve never been a member of any party, but of course I have values,” Karis says. “On the other hand, I’m a conservative because I value traditions. In terms of economic thinking, I am liberal, but I also care about people who have fallen off the carts. In that sense, I could be considered a Social Democrat. ”

Just falling from the sledge of people is something that worries Karis. This may be one of the reasons why in Estonia – as in many other countries – the confrontation of citizens seems to have increased.

According to Karis, confrontation is a threat to all states, but especially to small countries like Estonia.

There are some factors that may be the root causes of the confrontation.

“There are people who have been thrown away and are thus good ground for polarization,” says Karis.

According to him, Estonian parties may not have listened sufficiently to all people.

“One of my goals is to try to get people together to talk. Yes, I also realize that there are political movements that want polarization because it helps them get votes. But there is populism in all parties. ”

Confrontation In addition to growth, Estonia has other security concerns: for example, Russia’s aggressive foreign policy and Belarus, which has begun to allow asylum seekers across the border into Lithuania and Poland.

According to Karis, one of the current problems is the lack of a proper dialogue with Russia or Belarus.

“Finland is an exception here, which is a good thing. I do not mean that Estonia should imitate Finland. But I think the key is that we have many different approaches to Russia. ”

Karis considers the relations between Finland and Estonia to be good but does not want to be lulled into it.

“We’re good friends, but I don’t think we know each other as well as we think.”

Among other things, he points out that Estonians speak less and less Finnish and that less and less Estonian is taught in Finnish universities.

“Cultural diplomacy, it should not be underestimated,” Karis says.

He himself has studied Finnish for two years, but his knowledge of the Finnish language has since deteriorated due to lack of use.

Estonian President Alar Karis and President Sauli Niinistö met at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on Tuesday. This was Karis’ first visit to Finland as President.

Finland According to Karis, there are also differences between Estonia and Estonia, which may be reflected, for example, in different corona epidemic situations. In Estonia and the other Baltic countries, the incidence of the coronavirus has started to rise sharply in recent weeks, and the infections are already alarming previous records.

At the same time, vaccine coverage in Estonia is below 60%. In Finland, it is well over 70 percent.

“If you compare Estonia and Finland, then Finland follows the rules better,” says Karis, referring to the use of face masks and safety intervals, for example. “Vaccine coverage is also much higher in Finland – for the same reasons.”

Karis says that as president, he has already issued statements encouraging people to take vaccines and follow the rules so that there is no return to the time of restrictions.

“The situation can get worse from this, but I hope people are smart enough,” he says.

Read more: Baltic countries plunge deeper into Korona affliction: Estonia “on the brink of disaster”, Latvia may need international help

To the scientist president a smart nation seems to be a matter of the heart. For example, in her inaugural address, Karis raised the concept of a “smart nation”.

What does he mean by that?

Not necessarily that every citizen should have a Doctorate. “It means being able to make good decisions. And that decisions are based on science, debates, solid data. ”

There is a use for scientific knowledge as humanity tries to cope with really big issues like the challenges posed by climate change.

Karis says that he has also worked on environmental issues in his career. As he travels, he has seen the withering of Lake Chad and the Congo River, the surface of which was covered with plastic debris.

Karis says he is concerned that people think of climate change and environmental problems as local problems, even though it is a global problem.

It also has to do with the fact that ordinary people may not understand the intricate language of international environmental agreements.

“If people are told that the rest of their lives have to be lived differently, then a good explanation is needed,” Karis says. “It is also up to politicians to be able to explain why rules and regulations are needed.”

Alar Karis

Alar Karis is 63 years old.

  • Molecular and developmental biologist and one of Estonia’s most internationally cited scientists. Born in Tartu in 1958.

  • Elected President of Estonia in August 2021 for a five-year term.

  • Former Rector of the University of Tartu, Director of the State Audit Office and Director of the Estonian National Museum.

  • Married to historian Sirje Jädala. They have three children.

Read more: THL’s Salminen: “It is unrealistic for infection rates to start to fall permanently” – 80% vaccine coverage is likely to be exceeded next week, but experts say it won’t change anything

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