Iso Brother is watching you...
Yesterday's Helsingin Sanomat (Finnish broadsheet) reported "that foreign intelligence gathering in Finland last year continued more actively than in recent previous years." I found this quite exciting, like I am living in a spy novel.
I have always thought of Finland as strategically important for the small cute shaped landmass it is. Yet strangely, it never comes up in dinner party conversations. Sure we talk about Belgium when we talk about issues coming from Europe, we discuss whether Turkey is really Europe or if only every other perssn in Istanbul is European. We turn to Germany when big economic decisions are being made, and to the French when moral decisions need arguing. But Finland, well people know the capital city and that either the president or prime minister is a woman but they can't remember which.
Yet I think it's an important country. Look at it's neighbours. You don't live next door to Communism /The Mafia /The USSR for years and not learn something. Diplomacy if nothing else. I mean there's a reason the Finns are quiet, they've grown up with nasty neighbours that listened to everything they said.
During the Cold War, we should have all learned a lot more about Finland. They would have known what nervous felt like. It was only in the late 1980's that Russia stopped officially trying to interfere in Finland's domestic policy and that its neutrality was accepted.
Finland is the only Northern European (for want of a phrase to avoid the Scandic / Baltic / Nordic grouping argument) that has jumped into the EU and accepted the currency. Flying just down to Spain I had to have separate cash for a stop over in Sweden and in Denmark. It felt like playing with friends who didn't trust you enough to play with theirbest toys.
But back to foreign intellegence gathering. The report states that the methods used: " bring back memories of the negative surveillance activities conducted in Finland in the past." It's a throw away line that only scratches the surface of what this country and people have had to endure in its role as Swedish playmate, Russian pawn and a forced host to a brief yet vicious German visit.
The good thing about travelling is that it forces you to understand the world around you. It's not all snow and reindeers and Santa Claus here. And as I learn more of Finland's stoic history, I'll blog with thoughts. I just hope no one mistakes me for foreign intelligence.
I have always thought of Finland as strategically important for the small cute shaped landmass it is. Yet strangely, it never comes up in dinner party conversations. Sure we talk about Belgium when we talk about issues coming from Europe, we discuss whether Turkey is really Europe or if only every other perssn in Istanbul is European. We turn to Germany when big economic decisions are being made, and to the French when moral decisions need arguing. But Finland, well people know the capital city and that either the president or prime minister is a woman but they can't remember which.
Yet I think it's an important country. Look at it's neighbours. You don't live next door to Communism /The Mafia /The USSR for years and not learn something. Diplomacy if nothing else. I mean there's a reason the Finns are quiet, they've grown up with nasty neighbours that listened to everything they said.
During the Cold War, we should have all learned a lot more about Finland. They would have known what nervous felt like. It was only in the late 1980's that Russia stopped officially trying to interfere in Finland's domestic policy and that its neutrality was accepted.
Finland is the only Northern European (for want of a phrase to avoid the Scandic / Baltic / Nordic grouping argument) that has jumped into the EU and accepted the currency. Flying just down to Spain I had to have separate cash for a stop over in Sweden and in Denmark. It felt like playing with friends who didn't trust you enough to play with theirbest toys.
But back to foreign intellegence gathering. The report states that the methods used: " bring back memories of the negative surveillance activities conducted in Finland in the past." It's a throw away line that only scratches the surface of what this country and people have had to endure in its role as Swedish playmate, Russian pawn and a forced host to a brief yet vicious German visit.
The good thing about travelling is that it forces you to understand the world around you. It's not all snow and reindeers and Santa Claus here. And as I learn more of Finland's stoic history, I'll blog with thoughts. I just hope no one mistakes me for foreign intelligence.
posted by Rowena at 11:45 am
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