ABSTRACT
Estonia, the “little country that could,” has made tremendous strides in the post-Soviet era. Within the past ten years Estonia has seen an explosion of capitalism, and, to a lesser extent, healthy political debate over the future of the state. Estonia’s successful transition bears consideration in light of the effects of foreign infl uence on this transition. Foreign government funding for NGOs refl ects an evolving strategy, one that has become more common as international civil society and democratization efforts have gained more currency. This funding represents the conscious use of NGOs as tools of foreign policy making-in effect, funding NGOs in order to infl uence attitudes and values “on the ground” in the hopes of creating greater proAmerican or pro-European spaces.
