Paternal Cousin Beats Maternal Cousin as a Spouse

Marriage between close relatives—or, more precisely, the inbreeding among children born as a result of such unions—is harmful. This is because offspring are more likely than usual to inherit the same gene variant from both parents.

In such cases, recessive genes become expressed in the children's phenotype, causing recessively inherited diseases to manifest. As a result, children born to related parents face a higher risk of congenital structural abnormalities, developmental disabilities, deafness and blindness, as well as infant and child mortality. In addition, inbreeding reduces the cognitive ability of offspring born from such relationships, which has a negative effect on their success in life.

If marriages between relatives occur within the same family or community over several consecutive generations, genetic diversity decreases and the genetic risks increase further. Despite these disadvantages, marriage between cousins is common in many cultures.

More than 10 percent of the world's population enters into such marriages—this has also become increasingly common in Finland and other Western countries in recent years as a result of increased humanitarian immigration. For this reason, it has been suspected that such marriages may be associated with some benefit that has caused this—in itself highly harmful—cultural practice to become established in some cultures.

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One such benefit was identified in a study published by French researcher Olympia L. K. Campbell. It concerned the effect of kinship relationships on conflicts within the household, i.e. domestic violence.

The study was based on two competing hypotheses. According to the first, blood kinship would align spouses' interests and increase monitoring by relatives, thereby reducing men's incentives and opportunities to use coercion. According to the second hypothesis, close kinship networks would place family unity above women's autonomy, suppressing help-seeking and making it easier to control women.

Campbell compared these hypotheses using data collected from approximately 36,000–46,000 women in Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, and Turkey. In this dataset, marriage to a first cousin was associated with a 2.5-percentage-point lower probability of physical intimate-partner violence compared with marriages in which the spouses were not blood relatives.

For a woman, this corresponds to an approximately 11 percent lower relative risk of violence. In addition, the researcher found a similar reduction in coercive controlling behavior toward wives.

Interestingly, marriage to a paternal cousin reduced the risk of physical violence more than marriage to a maternal cousin. Thus, it appears that the protective effect stems from the authority of the man's relatives over men, rather than from the spouse's kinship itself. 

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Blame the Philanthropist Or Understand the Facts
Society, Genetics, and the Impact of Consanguineous Marriages: At the Intersection of Education and Heredity
Cousin is not just a delicacy, but also a hindrance to social success

It’s Time to Teach Putin: The Age of Empire Is Over

Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen does not have high expectations for the peace negotiations taking place in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday. Her view does not even depend on whether Russia's dictator, Vladimir Putin, attends or not.

Valtonen stated that Putin’s presence would make little difference. This is because, according to her, Putin has demonstrated through his actions that he merely wants to continue subjugating Ukraine and will not agree to any solution that Ukraine could accept in the long term.

Her statement reflects a realism grounded in facts. And for that reason, Western countries — both in Europe and North America — and especially the administration of Donald Trump, should take her view as the starting point when considering a resolution to the war in Ukraine.

This point was also emphasized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who announced that he would travel to Turkey regardless — but made it clear that Trump must understand Putin is the true obstacle to peace in Ukraine.

According to Zelensky, Trump must, above all, accept that Putin lies, while Ukraine is doing its part to pursue peace and has no intention of delaying the process. He also noted that if Putin fails to appear, it would serve as definitive proof that he has no intention of ending the war.

The significance of the Istanbul meeting remains to be seen. But it underscores the urgent need for EU countries to finally ramp up arms production to meet the demands of today’s geopolitical reality — and, through that, provide Ukraine’s military with sufficient support to first force the Russian army onto the defensive and ultimately drive them back, militarily defeated, to Russian soil.

In other words, the time has come for EU decision-makers to show Putin that the era of imperialism is over — even for Russia.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Warnings from Jussi Halla-aho and Igor Girkin About Europe's Near Future
When the War Comes Home to Moscow
Putin Faces a Heavy Price for His Hesitation

Millions Defy Erdoğan – The Battle for Atatürk's Legacy Continues

According to the Turkish opposition, up to 2.2 million people gathered in Istanbul on Saturday to protest against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his dictatorial actions. Meanwhile, the government has banned demonstrations and arrested thousands of protesters.

What is essential here is that Turkey still has millions of people who are willing to put their own future at risk to defend the legacy of the country’s first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk—namely, the modernization and democratization of the nation.

Erdoğan, on the other hand, has undermined this legacy by leaning on Islamist forces, which have helped him secure an almost dictatorial position. At the same time, Turkey has gradually drifted toward its ideological past, falling into instability after a long period of economic growth. 

It remains to be seen whether Erdoğan’s administration will collapse and, if it does, whether its successor will restore Turkey to the path laid out by Atatürk. If that happens, Turkey may regain a leading position among Islamic countries and set an example for a better future.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
The Need for Asylum Among Syrians Disappeared with the Regime Change
The Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs apologized to the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs for the words of the woman who criticized the man who exposed his penis
What seemed to be impossible just two years ago is going to happen in very near future

The Need for Asylum Among Syrians Disappeared with the Regime Change

The power transition in Syria reportedly occurred partly with the help provided by Ukraine. According to available information, Ukraine had sent in advance 20 drone operators and 150 FPV drones to the rebel organization that took power.

If and when this information proves to be accurate, it highlights the vastly different scale of warfare in Ukraine compared to Syria. In Ukraine, 150 drones have almost no significant impact on the overall course of the war.

From the perspective of Western countries, one of the biggest questions regarding Syria's regime change concerns refugees. After all, they have primarily fled either Assad's regime or the ISIS caliphate, neither of which now plays a significant role in Syria.

For this reason, Finland and many other countries have already suspended the processing of asylum applications from Syrians, as it is apparent that those who fled Assad's regime or ISIS and came here no longer require asylum. Logically, this should mean that even those previously granted asylum would be returned to their country of origin.

Denmark has already promised a €20,000 package for Syrians who return to their homeland. This is logical, as Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen does not want even a single asylum seeker in her country.

On the other hand, Turkey’s three million Syrians have not needed to be incentivized to return to their homeland; even too many of them have already rushed to the border. It remains to be seen whether the rest will follow in the near future.

This, in turn, depends on what kind of role Syria’s new administration takes. Will it adopt a constructive role and unite the nation, or will it prove too weak to prevent rebellions by other factions operating in Syria? Naturally, our hope in the West is for the Syrian people to unify and for the state to develop into a functioning human rights state and democracy.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
On the Consequences of Russian Inability in Syria
Revolution in Syria: What Comes Next?
The Futile Civil War in Syria

Sweden's Rapid Demographic Shift Causes Challenges

Sweden has long been the leading destination for immigrants in northern Europe. Consequently, its population diversity has changed rapidly.

As a result of all this, Sweden experiences an exceptionally high number of rapes relative to its population by European standards. Additionally, the country has several violent criminal gangs that practically control the drug trade and even entire neighborhoods.

Due to immigration, about 8.1 percent of Sweden's population was Muslim in 2017. And today, there are significantly more of them.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the largest mosque in northern Europe is being built in Stockholm. It is backed by the Turkish-origin Milli Görüş movement, which is known for its negative attitude towards Jews, women, and sexual minorities. These are values important to Sweden's "people's home."

Hence, a societal debate is emerging in Sweden about the status of Muslims in the country. The government has been reminded, for example, that "the authorities task is to integrate Muslims into society, not to create even wider rifts between the Muslim population and other residents of Sweden."

It remains to be seen how the Swedish society will withstand the rapid change in population diversity. Will it still be able to maintain some characteristics of the safe "people's home" for everyone, or will the country increasingly exhibit characteristics typical of developing countries in the future?

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Immigration issue
An immigrant who stands out from the average has been taken into custody
Even a brutal murder didn't stir the Swedes

The Game is Getting Tougher

Mass immigration to the European Union has taken on a new dimension at the border between Greece and Turkey. The Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle reported that a Greek border guard was hit by a bullet fired from the Turkish side. The shooter is suspected to be a smuggler profiting from people from developing countries.

It is absolutely clear that shooting at border guards cannot be tolerated at any level, whether done by a smuggler or those being smuggled. Nor is it in line with any human rights agreements.

It remains to be seen how the EU will react to this incident. Will it be ignored, as are other crimes (example) committed by immigrants in Union territories, or will the mass migration from developing countries finally be treated as a serious threat to the whole of European culture?

Russians, on the other hand, have realized that fighting in Ukraine is not without risks to the home front. According to a Meduza news story, those returning from the war have committed various crimes. This is especially true for those who have previously engaged in criminal activity and joined the army as volunteers to escape prison.

According to the report, the Kremlin even believes that returning soldiers from Ukraine pose the greatest political and social risk factor during Vladimir Putin's reign. Of course, it would be great if this ultimately led to the fall of the aforementioned dictator and Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine.

However, I doubt that the Russians are capable of rising against Putin's regime. After all, they have become accustomed over hundreds of years to their leaders not caring about the well-being of the people, but only about enhancing their own reputation and wealth.

Despite everything, the news mentioned above indicates that the situation is intensifying regarding both immigration from developing countries to Europe and Russia's so-called special operation. It remains to be seen what impact this will have on the future of our continent.

This issue is also of great significance for Finland, as it is, like Ukraine, a neighbor of Russia, and Vladimir Putin has conducted hybrid operations against it using people from developing countries as weapons. In the best-case scenario, Russians will be frightened by the consequences of their war on the home front and will end all hybrid operations on Finland's borders.

On the other hand, it is also possible that instead of using reason, Russians might apply the criminal activities seen at the Greek-Turkish border, endangering the safety of Finnish border guards. This too must be anticipated in the training of border guards.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Defending National Security: Finland's Response to Hybrid Warfare
Russian Tax Overhaul: Citizens to Bear the Burden of War Losses
Mass immigration is the greatest concern for EU youth

The Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs apologized to the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs for the words of the woman who criticized the man who exposed his penis

In Finland, the left-wing opposition has recently been trying to bring down the government in collaboration with major media houses by seeking evidence of racism in the old writings of the Finns Party ministers.

One of the cases involved Minister of Finance Riikka Purra, who was claimed to have written about Turkish monkeys 15 years ago. The case was reported incorrectly because Purra had not referred to Turks in general as monkeys but rather to a specific Turkish man who had disturbed her dinner in a restaurant by staring and simultaneously digging his penis.

Surprisingly, Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen (National Coalition Party) apologized to the Turks without verifying the original text. The situation is almost comical, with the foreign minister apologizing to Turks for the reaction of a woman who was harassed by a disgustingly behaving man. Hopefully, the truth will one day come out for both the Turks and Finland's foreign minister.

Another recent incident concerned Purra's blog post from 2019, which was claimed to be racist in the Finnish press. However, this article was also reported incorrectly to the Finnish people because it explicitly advocated for Muslim women to have the same rights in Finland as Western women and was neither racist nor sexist.

As a result of these inaccurately reported writings, the left-wing opposition has demanded that the Parliament be called into session during the holiday period to discuss these matters. Parliament Chair Jussi Halla-aho (Finns Party) has promised to issue the invitation if any government party supports the demand, but the National Coalition Party, at least, is reluctant.

However, if the Parliament is called together, it is possible - or rather probable - that the Finnish government will collapse.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finnish horror gallery and reality
The program of the new Finland´s Government is ready, and ministers are being selected
The Guardian misleads its readers

What seemed to be impossible just two years ago is going to happen in very near future

Turkey´s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan told to Sauli Niinistö - president of Finland - that Turkey will start the ratification process that leads to Finland´s membership in NATO. That is excellent news to Finns, who tried to get along with the Russians after World War II by accommodating them in every possible way, hoping that this would prevent the great power to direct aggression towards Finland.

As this strategy proved to be wrong, at the latest when Russia attacked Ukraine, the NATO application received strong support from almost the entire Finnish population. And therefore the leading Finnish politicians have been commonly acknowledged for their action in the process.

President Niinistö described how the process with Turkey proceeded. First, president of the Republic, Sauli Niinistö together with the Minister for Foreign Affairs began their state visit by laying a wreath at the grave of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey.

Then the President of Turkey received the President of the Republic of Finland with proper hospitality. When Niinistö greeted Turkish soldiers, the response echoed in unison like a company to their commander. 

The presidents, walking along the blue carpet under umbrellas, were barely protected from the rain. However, Turkish President was in such a jovial mood that it did not take long for Erdogan to become concerned about the Finnish photographer's wet shoes. As the ceremony began with a slight delay, it seemed as if a rainbow had been drawn behind the rain clouds.

Provided that Turkey will do as promised by their president, there is still one obstacle left. That is Hungary, who remains the only NATO-country that has not started the ratification process of the Finnish application.

That may, however, change soon, as at the same time as Erdogan gave his promise, the ruling Fidesz party announced that the Hungarian parliament is scheduled to vote on the ratification of Finland's NATO membership on March 27. According to the leader of its parliamentary group, the party's parliamentary group unanimously supports Finland's NATO membership.

All of this means that something that seemed to be impossible just two years ago is going to happen in very near future. And my homeland can finally lean on the Western world that shares the same democratic values in protecting its security. 

That will be of utmost importance to me, as it marks the moment when we Finns can finally relax and put an end to the worries over the security risks posed by our eastern neighbor for centuries.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:

Erdogan wants fighter jets, and uses Finland and Sweden to get them
Finland after the Russian war in Ukraine
Why Finland will apply for a membership in NATO

Erdogan wants fighter jets, and uses Finland and Sweden to get them

Foreign minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu of Turkey is currently negotiating with his colleague of the United States, Anthony Blinken, about buying General Dynamics F-16 fighter jets to his air force. They have asked those already quite a while ago, but only now have got their chance.

The reason is that Finland and Sweden have asked to be accepted as members of the NATO. And that provided Turkey a chance to blackmail Joe Biden´s regime to accept the trade. 

That probably is also the reason why Turkey is setting impossible demands to Sweden for a positive response. That is, asking Sweden to even change its legislation in order to send Kurdish refugees to be sentenced to jail for issues that are not crimes in the Nordic countries.

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In both Turkey and Finland people are waiting whether Americans will couple the fighter trade to President Erdogan´s approval of the applications of Finland and Sweden. And to help in such a way to increase our safety as neighbors of the aggressive Russia. 

While waiting for Turkish ratification I would like to point out to Turkey´s regime, that keeping Finland out for too long does not enhance positive attitudes of Finns towards the country. Actually, the reluctance seen thus far has already injured sympathy that prevailed between the people of the two nations just few years ago. 

Turkish behavior is also followed in other Western countries, and therefore the ruler of the Bosporous strait is now under a lot of pressure from other NATO members. A common expectation, however, is that Turkey would actually be ready to accept Finland and Sweden, but wants to get a reward for its graciousness. That is, modern fighters to be used in it own interest in Near East and elsewhere. 

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Long distance trade
Finland and Sweden invited to NATO - but what about Kurdish people
Why Finland will apply for a membership in NATO

Long distance trade

We often think that ancient people lived in separation with little contacts to humans living in other parts of the world. This view is, however, incorrect because trade has been more or less global for thousands of years.

I wrote in May about ivory trade between Greenland and what is today Ukraine in medieval times. And last week I noticed a new scientific investigation showing that a Late Bronze Age shipwreck - from 3 300 years ago - found off the Turkish coast carried tin ingots, of which one third was produced of ores from Central Asia, thousands of kilometers from shipwrecks location. 

The finding added evidence on a vast, disparate and culturally diverse network of trade that relied as much on the participation of small regional communities as on large, centralized states during the Late Bronze Age. And which formed a basis for the economic development that ultimately - during the following millenia - led to the current world based on global trade and cultural exchange forming the basis of the current way of living throughout the world.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
A new route for the Ukrainian crops
Ivory trade from Greenland to Ukraine
Vikings and the technological cutting edge

Finland and Sweden invited to NATO - but what about Kurdish people

Today was a big day for Finland and Sweden as they were invited to join NATO. It was also an important day for Turkey´s wannabe sultan, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who most probably obtained a promise from President Joe Biden of obtaining F16 fighters from the USA. 

A day was a bit less great for Turkish minorities. That was very clearly pointed out by a member of Swedish  parliament, Kurdish Amineh Kakabaveh, who did not accept the deal by the Swedish Social democratic government, and said to her compatriots that a "vote for the Social Democrats is a vote for Erdogan". 

The reason is that Finland and Sweden agreed on actions against terrorists. And terrorists in Erdogan´s understanding are more or less synonyms for Kurds. 

Already now Finland and Sweden are considering PKK as a terrorist organisation, due to an obvious reason that PKK has been guilty of terrorist attacks. On the other hand, the two Nordic countries do not consider other Kurdish organisations - including Syrian YPG - terroristic organizations, but neither do they support them. 

Therefore, the agreement between the Nordic countries and Turkey - as far as is possible to figure out based on the available public information - will not change the current political practices considering Kurdish people. 

It is also clear that neither Finland nor Sweden will send a single Kurd to Turkey if that would be against their own legislation. That means no one - who is not a terrorist according to Nordic laws - has a fear of being sent to Turkey for a trial. 

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Why Finland will apply for a membership in NATO
COVID-19 against Finland´s NATO plans
Is President Putin on his way to repeat the destiny of Czar Nicholas II?