Finland and the U.S. to Launch Icebreaker Cooperation

President Alexander Stubb of Finland visits the White House today together with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. There, he will sign a memorandum of understanding with President Donald Trump concerning cooperation on icebreaker technology.

This document lays the foundation for commercial agreements between the U.S. Coast Guard and Finnish companies. It is also the result of prior negotiations between the U.S. administration and Finnish shipbuilders.

The cooperation is based on the fact that Finnish expertise in icebreaker technology is unparalleled anywhere in the world — and that is why the Americans trust it.

Icebreakers are not ordinary ships; they represent a highly specialized technology mastered only within the Finnish “icebreaker ecosystem”, where the coordinated expertise of numerous companies comes together. In other words, the overall know-how is not the private property of any single company.

For this same reason, Finland’s core icebreaker expertise cannot simply be transferred abroad, even though the agreement includes an option for part of the shipbuilding work to be carried out in the United States. However, this would mainly involve the final outfitting of the icebreakers — work that does not significantly differ from any other type of ship construction.

In Finland, some concern has been expressed that these new deals might lead to the loss of icebreaker know-how from the country. For the reasons mentioned above, I do not share this concern. However, I do see great value in the fact that the construction of these vessels will also create jobs for American companies.

Such cooperation, if successful, could lead to a long-term partnership between Finnish and American companies — and thereby, in President Stubb’s words, “benefit both Finland and the United States.” After all, each icebreaker costs around two billion euros, so there’s a significant share for everyone involved.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finland and the USA: Strong Allies with Shared Interests or a Trade Dispute?
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Finland Will Thrive with Any US President, Trump Survived the Assassination Attempt

The Dire Wolf and the Rights of Extinct Human Species

The Americans have announced that they have brought back to life a dire wolf that lived during the Ice Age. Or, more precisely, they have created a hybrid — a cross between a gray wolf and an ancient dire wolf.

This was made possible by two things. First, the genome of the dire wolf has been successfully determined from fossil material. And second, the general advancement of methods for modifying the DNA of living organisms.

The case is the first of its kind and particularly interesting because the animal species in question is not actually very closely related to the wolf. Instead, it belongs to an entirely different genus within the canine family. Thus, quite a lot of genetic modifications had to be made, and the resulting animals may not — or even likely will not — behave like the original dire wolves.

It remains to be seen what will happen to these hybrid animals in the future. Will they become free predators roaming the North American wilderness, or — as I rather suspect — exhibition pieces harnessed for profit in zoos or even in some kind of traveling shows? It will also be interesting to see whether this revival of the dire wolf will be followed by attempts to bring back other extinct creatures, like mammoths or thylacines.

One thing is certain, however: the creation of these animals will spark lively debate about the ethics of science. And there is little doubt that the most heated discussions will center around humanity’s own relatives.

After all, with the methods that have now been successfully used, it is possible — at least in theory — to also bring back extinct human species. Such as Neanderthals, Denisovans, or even Homo erectus.

If that were to happen, difficult questions would arise. For example, regarding whether they should be granted the same human and civil rights as everyone else.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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The Free World Needs America’s Leadership Now

It has been difficult for us Europeans to understand why Donald Trump has been so popular among American voters. Of course, he has made some good decisions regarding immigration and the excesses of value liberalism, but on the other hand, his foreign policy endangers the unity of the Western world in the face of China and Russia and leads to a decline in the standard of living on both sides of the Atlantic.

Naturally, we do understand that behind this lies the economic self-sufficiency stemming from the greatness of American society, which slows down the impact that closing borders has on the daily lives of ordinary citizens. And, of course, the DEI/woke movements that have eroded American society from within during the Democrats’ time in power, and which many have grown thoroughly tired of.

According to recent information, however, it now seems that even for Americans, enough is enough. This is indicated by a fresh poll showing that 50.2 percent of Americans disapprove of the president and his administration’s actions, while only 46.4 percent approve. Even Elon Musk has noticed that Trump’s actions are becoming costly for him personally as well.

It remains to be seen how Trump will respond to these numbers — and how that will affect how he leads the country in relation to the rest of the world.

Right now, the most important thing would be to express strong support for Ukraine, both in words and actions. This is because Russia has just launched its spring offensive, and its success would be in no Western country's interest — least of all the USA’s, since Putin and Xi seem to have found common ground and, for the first time since the end of the Cold War, pose a significant security threat to the Americans.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Number of Predators is Increasing in Russia
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Too Many Finns Share Trump’s Inability to Comprehend

Today, in Germany, some idiot has once again decided to drive a car into a crowd. As a result, at least two people have died, and at least 25 others have been injured.

This case once again demonstrates that Germany – and Europe in general – is facing massive problems due to its immigration policies. That is why a complete reversal of course is necessary.

The U.S. President, Donald Trump, is an obvious fool in his approach to Russia and Vladimir Putin. Nevertheless, the latter part of his statement published by Visegrád, "We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country – So that we don’t end up like Europe," makes a great deal of sense.

However, if he truly wanted to act in the best interest of ordinary people—both Americans and Europeans—he should address both of the issues he mentioned. In this regard, he could take inspiration from the Finnish government, which aims to tackle both the immigration problem and Russia’s imperialist ambitions simultaneously.

Unfortunately, it seems that too many Finns share Trump's inability to comprehend more than one problem at a time. This is evident from the fact that support for the left, which promotes the cause of criminal immigrants, is surging—even though nearly all Finns understand that Putin cannot be allowed to emerge victorious from his adventure in Ukraine.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Strategic Experts Predicted Russia’s Collapse but Fell into Wishful Thinking

Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security surveyed the future, asking 167 global strategists and foresight practitioners around the world to answer questions about the biggest drivers of change over the next ten years.

Interestingly, 40 percent of respondents expected Russia to break up internally by 2033 due to revolution, civil war, political disintegration, or some other reason. Europeans were particularly pessimistic about Russia’s future: forty-nine percent of them foresee such an event, compared with 36 percent of Americans.

As a Finn, I naturally hope that the experts who participated in the survey are correct. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with them but view the survey results as wishful thinking rather than serious conclusions drawn from expertise.

My reasoning is that Russia did not collapse during the 1917 revolution or after its preceding defeat in the First World War. It also withstood the German offensive during the Second World War and the fall of communism in 1991.

Nor did Russia break apart during the famine of 1693 and the subsequent Time of Troubles, during which a Finnish army led by the Swedish Jacob de la Gardie captured Moscow in 1610. Nor when Napoleon did the same in 1812.

I do consider it possible, even inevitable, that Vladimir Putin’s reign will end within the next ten years, but the country will still be ruled by an undemocratic leader—be they called a czar, the chairperson of the Politburo, or a president. However, I do not believe that life for the average Russian will improve under a new leader.

I also do not believe that Russia will become a friendly state toward its neighbors or that its future rulers will abandon their imperialist policies.

For this reason, the rest of the world—and especially border states like Finland, Estonia, Poland, Ukraine, and others—must ensure the humane, economic, and military strength of their societies. In other words, citizens must see their homeland as worth defending and possess the necessary resources and military capabilities to do so.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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A Message From and To Vladimir Putin

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin stated that his favorite candidate for U.S. president is Kamala Harris. He explained that she might possibly refrain from imposing sanctions against Russia.

The question, of course, is why Putin commented on the U.S. elections. Did he genuinely want to express his support for the Democratic candidate, or was he rather trying to sabotage her campaign, knowing that not many Americans trust him at all?

My guess is that it's the latter. After all, he got along quite well with Donald Trump during Trump's previous presidency and probably assumes that it would be the same during a second term. This may or may not be the case, but in any case, Harris has already declared her support for Ukraine in its struggle for survival against Russia.

Therefore, for Americans, it's safest not to listen to Vladimir Putin and to make their voting decisions based on their own considerations. This ensures – if nothing else – that Putin cannot interfere in the elections of the largest democracy in the Western world.

Here in Finland, it has been noted with satisfaction that U.S. F-35 fighter jets have landed in Finland. These are the same aircraft that the Finnish Air Force has ordered for its next fleet, and the visit of the American planes sends a message to Putin and other Russian war hawks that it’s in their best interest to keep their own fighter jets out of Finnish airspace.

The visit of the top U.S. fighter jets to Finland was beneficial for the Americans as well. This can be inferred from the statement made by a U.S. Air Force general, who said, "The opportunity to learn from our Finnish counterparts enhances our ability to rapidly deploy and operate airpower from unconventional locations and reflects the collective readiness and agility of our forces."

This is exactly how cooperation should be: mutually beneficial for both parties!

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finland Will Thrive with Any US President, Trump Survived the Assassination Attempt
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