Empires rarely fall in dramatic fashion. They do not collapse overnight, nor do they recognize their own end while it is already underway. In Rome, even in the centuries of Late Antiquity, it was widely believed that crises were temporary: the borders could be secured, the army reorganized, and order restored. In reality, no single … Read more
Historical comparisons have a bad reputation. They’re used too often, too casually, and all too frequently as political weapons with little factual basis or serious analysis behind them. Yet it is precisely through history that we try to understand the dynamics of authoritarianism, the concentration of power, and the erosion of democracy. But is it … Read more
The “rules-based international order” has, since World War II, largely been a story the Western world has told itself: a world in which international rules are respected, sovereignty is honored, and disputes are resolved in institutions rather than on the battlefield. Now that story seems to be breaking down—fast. The extraordinary U.S. military operation in … Read more
The Monroe Doctrine seems to have stepped back out of the history books into the world of the living — now reborn as the Donroe Doctrine. But has a new Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact already been concluded as well — and are we already living with its consequences? History has a habit of repeating itself. The United … Read more
Donald Trump’s second presidential term has made visible what scholars of democracy have long pointed out: systems do not collapse spectacularly overnight. They first begin to weaken in those areas that relied less on legislation and more on people’s self-restraint and shared rules of the game. In the 1800s, U.S. President Andrew Jackson built a … Read more
Right now, several generations live side by side, each with a very different relationship to war and its threat. There are children, teenagers, and adults for whom the Cold War is nothing more than the title of a chapter in a history book, and many no longer have anyone in their close circle who still … Read more
It’s easy to understand the frustration of Finnish Teboil franchise owners. For years, they’ve built their businesses, served customers, paid taxes, and created jobs. Now their livelihoods are at risk — not because of any mistake of their own, but because of a geopolitical storm. From a human point of view, that feels deeply unfair. … Read more
These days I feel like grabbing a roll of heavy-duty aluminum foil from the kitchen and fashioning a hat before daring to open the newsfeed. The twists and turns now outdo the wildest Cold War spy thrillers—yet at the same time, they sometimes look like something straight out of an ’80s slapstick comedy. When Russian … Read more
When I was a kid, we were in the middle of the Cold War. Michael Jackson was still black, every school wall in Finland proudly displayed a black-and-white portrait of president Urho Kaleva Kekkonen, the infamous Tiitinen list of Finnish politicians was still in Stasi’s hands, Berlin was divided by a wall, Nelson Mandela was … Read more
Lately, I’ve noticed a troubling trend on Facebook: the creation of fake profiles seems to have escalated significantly in Finland. Many people in my circle have reported that fake accounts have been made using their names, only to be exposed after sending friend requests to acquaintances whose alarm bells started ringing. Right now, I’m coming … Read more