Huawei Talent Summit opening

The holiday season is not only a time of celebration, but of contemplation of things past, present and future. It's crystal clear that in this age of global pandemic, probable climate catastrophe and digitization and artificial intelligence that the world is at a global inflection point.

Two American F-15C Eagle -figther jets, three Finnish F/A-18C Hornet -fighter jets and a German Eurofighter Typhoon -figther jet in the air force practice common lap in Finnish air space on 17th of March 2021.

The choice concerns the fighter plane for Finland's future air defence. I am not competent to assess which criteria are most important in the selection, performance, or finances. Therefore, it is best to abstain, even if the price tag is something that any layperson can have opinions about.

A picture shows a child's shoe amidst the rubble of buildings, destroyed by Israeli strikes, in Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip on May 21, 2021. - A ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, controlled by Islamist group Hamas, came into effect after 11 days of airstrikes and rocket fire. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

So, it has happened again. Riots in Jerusalem. Random rocket fire and precision bombings, both with civilian casualties. The parties are involved in a spiral of revenge with the goal of exhausting the opponent. The pattern is repeated year after year. The outside world demands a cease fire; mediators sign up. This has been the case throughout my adult life. No lasting peace for Israel, no solution for the stateless Palestinians. Cease fire is fine, but for how long?

Generous social benefits aren’t enough to change the life prospects of kids from low-income families.

Nordic nations are proud of their social policies—justifiably so. As we know, high taxes fund social security, education, disability, housing and unemployment benefits that reduce inequality and increase social mobility.

Finnish and Nato flags flutter at the courtyard of Foreign Ministry in Helsinki, Finland ahead of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 2023. LEHTIKUVA

The security environment across the Atlantic is turning unpredictable and complex with a resurgent Russia, NATO increasing its military presence in Eastern Europe, and the EU imposing financial sanctions on Russia. It has become the need of the hour for the EU as well as NATO as security actors to enhance their collective defence capabilities and move towards greater cooperation. This was made visible in the signing of their joint declaration on January 10, 2023 which reiterated the Union’s commitment to NATO Treaty Article 5.

Pro-government protesters wave the Israeli flag as they gather near Israel's parliament in Jerusalem on April 27, 2023 in support of the hard-right government's controversial push to overhaul the justice system. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

As Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary, every Israeli should remember that the occupation stains the country’s independence day and that Israel is not and will not be a true democracy as long as it remains an occupying power.

I couldn’t applaud and admire enough the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who protested for 17 consecutive weeks against the Netanyahu government’s scheme to subvert Israel’s judiciary under the pretense of necessary ‘reforms.’

In the United States, mass shootings are normal.

Of course, when they happen, they’re followed by heartbroken communities, thoughts and prayers, and a heated debate over gun laws… and then the trend repeats.

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's President Sauli Niinisto, Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde posing for pictures after signing a memorandum during a NATO summit in Madrid. Photo by Murat CETIN MUHURDAR / TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP / LEHTIKUVA

Nearly a year ago I was writing a trilogy of articles for Helsinki Times outlining the problems and risks for Finland joining NATO.

Groupthink clearly prevailed when making the decision to join. Irving Janis who developed the concept years before warned that when decision makers look inward and invest in a perspective that is biased in favour of their own world view without sufficient recognition of other viewpoints, then it leads to poor and damaging decisions.

An aerial view shows a woman siting next to an art work painted on the rubble of a building that collapsed during the February 6 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, in the rebel-held town of Jindayris in northern Syria, on February 22, 2023. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Two devastating earthquakes at magnitudes of 7,7 and 7,6 respectively, struck southeast of Türkiye on 6 February 2023. Another two at magnitudes of 6,4 and 5,8 hit Hatay province on 20 February. In the meantime, quake-stricken region was shaken by over 6.000 aftershocks since 6th February. In this respect, I would like to share information on the scope of the disaster, as well as subsequent search and rescue operations and international assistance sent to Türkiye.