Finland

List of Finland articles

A U.S. Bradley Fighting Vehicle is seen behind a U.S. flag during during a training session by U.S. soldiers in Nowa Deba, Poland.
A U.S. Bradley Fighting Vehicle is seen behind a U.S. flag during during a training session by U.S. soldiers in Nowa Deba, Poland.

NATO’s Got a New Backbone

It’s time for the United States to prioritize members of the alliance that understand the Russian threat and are taking it seriously.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a speech by video during a NATO assembly in Madrid on Nov. 21, 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a speech by video during a NATO assembly in Madrid on Nov. 21, 2022.

Ukraine Should Follow Finland’s Path to NATO

Kyiv needs a clear membership track, but Washington and Berlin are blocking it.

A blue and white flag hangs from the side of a building.
A blue and white flag hangs from the side of a building.

What You Might Not Know About Finland

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

Finnish military personnel install the Finnish national flag at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Finnish military personnel install the Finnish national flag at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Will Finland’s NATO Accession Make a Difference?

One of the alliance’s long-awaited new members has joined, but it won’t necessarily bring Europe closer to strategic autonomy.

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.

Finland Gives NATO a King in the North

The Baltic Sea was once a Russian lake. Now NATO owns the northern flank.

People stand after the ceremonial raising of the Finnish national flag at NATO headquarters in Brussels on April 4.
People stand after the ceremonial raising of the Finnish national flag at NATO headquarters in Brussels on April 4.

Why Neutrality Is Obsolete in the 21st Century

As Finland joins NATO, a few European holdouts cling to nonalignment.

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

The Finnish Art of Sauna Diplomacy

Our intrepid reporter joins the Finnish Diplomatic Sauna Society.

An election poster featuring Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who leads the Social Democratic Party, is displayed on a booth in Helsinki on March 31.
An election poster featuring Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who leads the Social Democratic Party, is displayed on a booth in Helsinki on March 31.

Finland’s Sanna Marin Might Get the Pink Slip Sunday

The center-left prime minister is a rock star internationally—but she might lose this weekend’s vote.

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.

Finland Is Less Progressive Than It Seems

A debate over Indigenous issues has empowered the country’s nativist right ahead of a critical election.

Polish, Swedish, Finnish, and NATO flags are set up.
Polish, Swedish, Finnish, and NATO flags are set up.

NATO’s Nordic Expansion Stuck at Turkish Roadblock

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not quite to the Finnish line on NATO membership.

Russian and Belarusian troops take part in joint military exercises.
Russian and Belarusian troops take part in joint military exercises.

Russia’s Stripped Its Western Borders to Feed the Fight in Ukraine

But Finland and the Baltic states are still leery of Moscow’s long-term designs.

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

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.

A soldier of the Swedish Army's P18 Gotland Regiment takes part in a field exercise near Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland on May 17.
A soldier of the Swedish Army's P18 Gotland Regiment takes part in a field exercise near Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland on May 17.
Ones and Tooze Override Photo
Ones and Tooze Override Photo
Members of the Indigenous Sámi community march during a Fridays for Future protest in Jokkmokk, northern Sweden, on Feb. 7, 2020, the Sámi National Day.
Members of the Indigenous Sámi community march during a Fridays for Future protest in Jokkmokk, northern Sweden, on Feb. 7, 2020, the Sámi National Day.

The Ukraine War Is Dividing Europe’s Arctic Indigenous People

It has driven a wedge between Sámi in Russia and those in Nordic countries.

Soldiers of the P18 Gotland Regiment of the Swedish Army camouflage an armoured vehicle during a field exercise near Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland on May 17.
Soldiers of the P18 Gotland Regiment of the Swedish Army camouflage an armoured vehicle during a field exercise near Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland on May 17.

What Are Sweden and Finland Thinking?

European leaders have reassessed Russia’s intentions and are balancing against the threat that Putin poses to the territorial status quo. 

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson address a news conference in Stockholm on May 16.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson address a news conference in Stockholm on May 16.

NATO Countries Begin Ushering Finland and Sweden Into the Fold

The U.K. and several Nordic countries have offered security guarantees to what could be NATO’s newest members.

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

Finns Show Up for Conscription. Russians Dodge It.

Two seemingly similar systems produce very different militaries.

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The Dustbin of History: Dependency Theory

According to Darwinism, species that adapt to their environment thrive; those that fail to evolve face extinction. The same is true for ideas. Marxism evolved from the primordial swamp of the Industrial Revolution but lies gasping for relevance after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Asian values — fashionable when South Korea and Thailand were ...