Source: Christian Science Monitor
by Mark Sappenfield
“Preparation is hard, and it doesn’t offer many political advantages. The benefits, after all, always seem to be further down the road. But that’s not how the people of Finland see it, particularly when it comes to national security. Last month, I spent a week in Finland reporting the cover story in the July 21 issue of the Monitor Weekly. I came back with the strong impression that preparation is something of an antidote to the spiraling hyperpolarization we see in many countries, particularly in the United States. In Finland’s case, it is preparation for war with its neighbor Russia. The Ukraine war might have come as a shock to the rest of the world. But Finns have been expecting something of the sort since World War II, when the Soviet Union came within a whisker of conquering them. The last 80 years have been spent in preparation.” (07/20/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/From-the-Editors/2025/0720/finland-russia-preparation-vigilance