Welcome to Boston, President Ilves

Last night, it was our great pleasure to welcome President Toomas Hendrik Ilves of the Republic of Estonia to The Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Tufts President Anthony P. Monaco welcomes Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves to campus on Sept. 25, 2013. (Kelvin Ma/Tufts University)

President Ilves and Ambassador of Estonia Marina Kaljurand (Fletcher alumnae: MALD ’95) were met with warm greetings by Tufts President Anthony Monaco, before an engaging discussion about Estonia’s remarkable transformation over the past two decades and its contributions to the prosperity and security of the region.

From left, Admiral James Stavridis, dean of The Fletcher School; Tufts President Anthony P. Monaco; Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves; and Estonian Ambassador to the United States Marina Kaljurand, MALD ’95, pose for a photo in Monaco’s office on Sept. 25, 2013. (Kelvin Ma/Tufts University)

Before concluding the evening, I took the opportunity to interview President Ilves—an internationally recognized expert in cyber and information technology—in more detail about the economy and defense spending, the country’s strong support of NATO, and the role of cyber in the future of global security.

I look forward to sharing video from my interview with President Ilves, links to his upcoming lecture to the Fletcher and Tufts community, and my upcoming OpEd on cyber in future posts.