Flash Points
Themed journeys through our archive.

What You Might Not Know About Finland

After joining NATO, all eyes are on the Nordic country. Here’s what makes it unique.

A blue and white flag hangs from the side of a building.
A blue and white flag hangs from the side of a building.
The Finnish flag flutters during the parliamentary election day in Helsinki on April 2. Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images

It’s been a big week for Finland. Just two days after an election in which the country’s most popular prime minister in years lost her reelection bid and Finnish politics moved to the right, the Nordic country finally joined NATO, adding 830 miles to the alliance’s border with Russia.

It’s been a big week for Finland. Just two days after an election in which the country’s most popular prime minister in years lost her reelection bid and Finnish politics moved to the right, the Nordic country finally joined NATO, adding 830 miles to the alliance’s border with Russia.

As all eyes turn to Finland, we’re revisiting our favorite stories on what makes the Nordic country unique, from a firsthand account of the art of sauna diplomacy to an analysis of the country’s reputation as a beacon of progressive politics.—Chloe Hadavas


Finnish actor Jasper Paakkonen relaxes inside a sauna in Helsinki.
Finnish actor Jasper Paakkonen relaxes inside a sauna in Helsinki.

Finnish actor Jasper Paakkonen relaxes inside a sauna in Helsinki on July 7, 2016.Sam Kingsley/AFP via Getty Images

The Finnish Art of Sauna Diplomacy

FP’s intrepid reporter Robbie Gramer joins the Finnish Diplomatic Sauna Society.


Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin speaks with the media upon her arrival for a European Union summit in Brussels on March 23.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin speaks with the media upon her arrival for a European Union summit in Brussels on March 23.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin speaks with the media upon her arrival for a European Union summit in Brussels on March 23.JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images

Finland Is Less Progressive Than It Seems

A debate over Indigenous issues empowered the country’s nativist right ahead of a critical election, John Last writes.


Finnish and NATO flags fly in the courtyard of Finland’s foreign ministry in Helsinki on April 4.
Finnish and NATO flags fly in the courtyard of Finland’s foreign ministry in Helsinki on April 4.

Finnish and NATO flags fly in the courtyard of Finland’s foreign ministry in Helsinki on April 4.ANTTI HAMALAINEN/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images

Finland Gives NATO a King in the North

The Baltic Sea was once a Russian lake. Now NATO owns the northern flank, FP’s Jack Detsch reports.


Finland's ambassador to the United States Mikko Hautala
Finland's ambassador to the United States Mikko Hautala

Uli Knoerzer illustration for Foreign Policy

The Russia Whisperer

Finland’s envoy to Washington once shared a sauna with the Russian president. Here’s what he thinks the West got wrong about Vladimir Putin.


Members of the National Defence Training Association of Finland attend a training.
Members of the National Defence Training Association of Finland attend a training.

Members of the National Defence Training Association of Finland attend a training at the Santahamina military base in Helsinki on May 14.Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP via Getty Images

Finns Show Up for Conscription. Russians Dodge It.

Two seemingly similar systems produce very different militaries, FP’s Elisabeth Braw writes.

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