Oral history interview with Toomas Hendrik Ilves, October 1, 2017

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Toomas Hendrik Ilves lived in the United States and Canada, and spent almost a decade in Germany working for Radio Free Europe before he became an informal advisor to President Lennart Meri and Estonia’s ambassador to the United States in Washington, D.C.. He later served as Foreign Minister of Estonia, as Vice President of the Foreign Affairs Committe of the European Parliament, and as President of Estonia for ten years (2006 - 2016). He is currently a Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Mr. Ilves discusses his family’s background, the events leading up to Estonian indepence, and his role in shaping pivotal events and processes that have shaped the country’s recent history; with a special focus on the country’s rapid digitization and its consequences. He also discusses Estonia’s future as part of the digital world, embedded in the Western structures of finance, politics, and security.