More military spending, conscription mentality and supply from troubled grape farms: Finland in the world press

The article mentions that global military spending last year rose 3.7 percent in real terms to $2.24 trillion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). Finland's spending grew the most, 36 percent after the purchase of F-35 fighter jets, which is the largest annual increase in military spending since 1962, according to the report.

Lithuania, Sweden and Poland increased their defense budgets by 27 percent, Sweden by 12 percent and 11 percent respectively, a sign of European countries' growing commitment to military preparedness. The report particularly emphasizes Ukraine's growing military budget as a key factor in the growth of defense spending in the region, which is about half of the annual increase.

The defense budgets of other European countries, such as Lithuania, Sweden and Poland, increased by 27 percent, Sweden by 12 percent and Poland by 11 percent. The report also states that about half of the annual growth was due to the ballooning military budget of Ukraine.

"This included multi-year plans to increase spending from several governments," senior researcher Sipri Diego Lopes da Silva said, adding that military spending in Central and Western Europe is expected to continue to grow in the coming years.

The original story was published in The Independent on 25 April 2023 and can be found here.

The mentality that Finland's conscription brings to NATO

This opinion piece on Finland's military service based on the country's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was published in Rule of law April 19. The article details the conscription program and considers how NATO is now positioned to benefit from it.

The Finnish constitution obliges every citizen to participate or assist in national defense. The Conscription Act requires that every male Finnish citizen serves in the army between the ages of 18 and 60, unless he has been exempted. The article emphasizes that only a few NATO countries, such as Denmark, Estonia and Greece, have conscription. The author writes in detail about his military service, which begins with conscription and continues with early training and trainers.

The article also mentions the greater benefits of military service for the country, according to which the Finnish reserves offer physical and mental fitness, leadership skills, responsibility and wartime skills that contribute to national security.

"Finns still have a working knowledge of what it means to be a small but valuable cog in a big machine. All this reinforces and reinforces the high will to defend their country – and now NATO allies – against armed attack. NATO has just received an injection of determination and spirit in Finland's large reserves, which the term "guts" is just beginning to cover," the article reads.

Author Antti Ruokonen has a master's degree in engineering in Finland. He works for the City of Vaasa as a civil engineer with more than ten years of experience in environmental issues and public sector infrastructure.

The original story was published by Lawfare on 19.04.2023 and can be found here.

Does Finland's political turn mean a change of course towards NATO as well?

This article about the impact of Finland's last elections and the future new government on NATO was published in Atlantic Council April 4th. The opinion article emphasizes that there is likely to be no turbulence on Finland's path to NATO, as security and defense policy have traditionally been consensual areas in Finland, and the decision to join NATO was supported by a strong majority of public opinion and all major parties in the parliament.

The article begins by discussing the coalition's victory in the parliamentary elections with its chairman Petteri Orpo, which earns the right to be the first to try to form a coalition government. It also highlights the end of former prime minister SannaMarini's reign and Finland's finally joining NATO.

It states that the future government is expected to maintain security policy continuity despite changes in the nuances of foreign and security policy, and possible challenges may arise from the nationalist narratives of the Basic Finns and its emphasis on the country's sovereignty. "Although the Basic Finns could still support increasing NATO cooperation, since it is an intergovernmental organization and not a supranational one, solidarity and multinational joint capabilities may put them in an uncomfortable situation," the article says.

The article states that Finland may face challenges as a new member of NATO, especially when changing its decision-making culture to one of mutual solidarity and open discussion, as well as understanding the alliance's dynamics and processes.

The original story was published by the Atlantic Council on 04/04/2023 and can be found here.

The author, Rasmus Hindrén, is a resident senior fellow at the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and Director of International Relations at the European Center of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.

How do these trees float on the road in Finland?

An article about the camouflage technique used in Finland during the Second World War was published in Atlas Obscura April 27th. It depicts a surreal photograph taken by a Finnish army photographer named Osvald Hedenström in 1941 during World War II.

In the photo, a row of pine trees hangs in the air above a Finnish army car driving on a dirt road near the border of the Soviet Union. Finland used a camouflage trick to fool Russian aircraft and observation towers during the conflict. The tree lines wouldn't block the road from a plane flying overhead, but they could block the view from the tower. From a low vantage point, the lines along the road created the illusion of an uninterrupted line of trees.

The caption of Hedenström's picture says: "The Finns have camouflaged the Raatee road, which is about 10 km from Russia, with pine trees hanging in the air, because there is a lookout tower erected by the Russians right on the border."

The article states that the image that has appeared on social media in recent years, usually on accounts specializing in history, is from the Finnish Defense Forces' photo archive.

"The Finns did not have the funds to buy huge quantities of artificial camouflage, such as nets," the colonel Petteri Jouko, a military historian at the National Defense University told Atlas Obscura. "So they used trees, leaves and foliage to confuse the enemy. They were used to the wilderness and used the forest to their advantage, unlike the German soldiers operating in northern Finland, he added.

The original story was published by Atlas Obscura on 04/27/2023 and can be found here.

Watchdog highlights problems in the delivery of SA's grape farms to Finland

A Finnish watchdog report highlighting problems with three South African grape companies supplied by Finnish alcohol distribution monopoly Alko was published in News 24 April 27th. The article is based on a report by the watchdog 'Finnwatch', which found cases of poor living conditions where workers complained about how they were treated. However, the report has urged consumers not to boycott SA wine but rather to check whether the wines have been produced sustainably.

The article mentions that Wines of South Africa (WoSA) and Vinpro are investigating the findings of Finnwatch, which conducted research on behalf of Alko in South Africa. Finnwatch visited farms owned by Louisvale Wines, W+E Dreyer Boerdery and Welgemoed (C). Groenewald Boerdery), who bring with them the grapes used in Alko's selection of 11 wines.

The report found that workers at all the facilities visited were paid the minimum wage, but some of the housing was in poor condition and workers were sometimes treated aggressively and were not allowed to join a union. Some workers at Louisvale Wines and W+E Dreyer claimed they were exposed to agricultural chemicals such as paraquat, which is not allowed in the European Union but is still legal in South Africa.

It also mentions that some workers alleged that women were discriminated against in terms of hiring and wages, and some migrant workers alleged that labor brokers held work permits against their will.

Zane MeyerThe chief executive of Louisvale Wines pointed out that the report does not cover the company's winery near Stellenbosch, but three grape farms in the Wellington region.

"We gave answers to questions that Finnwatchand was happy to participate in the process. However, in my opinion, the report is not necessarily fair and correct. Allegations were made without evidence. Of course there is always room for improvement given SA's history. Some of the issues raised are related to the macro-economic conditions of the country, which cannot be solved by an individual farmer. We will continue to communicate with our employees and their union,” Meyer said.

The original story was published by News24 on April 27, 2023 and can be found here.

HT

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