o a contract armed forces; 17 years of age for
volunteers; reserve commitment up to the age of 60 (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 291,696
females age 18-49: 304,961 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 200,382 (in 2004, 51% of the young men called up
for service were determined to be unfit; main obstacles to
conscription were psychiatric and behavioral)
females age 18-49: 250,351 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 11,146
females age 18-49: 10,605 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$155 million (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2% (2002 est.)
Transnational Issues Estonia
Disputes - international:
in 2005, Russia refuses to sign the 1996 technical border agreement
with Estonia when Estonia prepares a unilateral declaration
referencing Soviet occupation and territorial losses; Russia demands
better accommodation of Russian-speaking population in Estonia;
Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the
boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the
now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within
Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external
border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia
and the Caucasus via Russia, cocaine from Latin America to Western
Europe and Scandinavia, and synthetic drugs from Western Europe to
Scandinavia; increasing domestic drug abuse problem; possible
precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking; potential money
laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a
concern, as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Ethiopia
Introduction Ethiopia
Background:
Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy
maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of the
1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II. In 1974, a military
junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since
1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups,
uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, t
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