Ukraine’s Former Foreign Minister Warns Against Another 1939

Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba gave an interview to the British magazine Metro, where he reminded mothers in Britain that they will soon have to decide whether they will send their sons to fight against Russian soldiers in Europe, or suffer the end of NATO.

The Ukrainian politician also painted a devil on the wall by predicting that “Putin may invade Nato territory soon – so now what? Is Nato going to send a division to fight back?”

According to him, “The first day the EU – which is no big bother to England – is going to spend discussing its response to Russia, is going to be the end of it,” and continued, “the real test will be whether British mothers will actually accept that their sons have to die for Finland or Estonia or Poland. If they don’t, there is no NATO.”

Kuleba also noted an analogy to the year 1939 by reminding that “This is how World War II started. 'Why fight for Danzig? Let’s give it to Hitler, it is just a city in Poland. Why should we die for it?’”

At the same time, the foreign ministers Joachim von Ribbentrop and Vyacheslav Molotov had agreed on a pact according to which Finland, the Baltic countries, and the eastern part of Poland would be turned into Russian territory. As a consequence, all those areas ended up as parts of the Soviet Union for seven decades — except Finland, which decided to fight for its independence and saved 90% of its territory in the Winter War.

Even though that war is considered a miracle, it is not an honour for the French and the British, who had promised to help Finland in many ways. Namely, they made many promises but ended up fulfilling only a small fraction of them regarding military material, and completely refused to send armed forces despite talks that those would also be sent via Norway and Sweden.

Based on this history from my grandparents’ generation, I certainly hope that history will not repeat itself — but that the difference will be an active NATO upholding its Article 5, and accordingly taking care of the agreed arrangements. And that it would show Kuleba that today’s Western Europe and the USA are more reliable pillars of European security than the Western powers of the late 1930s.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Should Finland Heed the Warnings of a Left-Wing Idealist?
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Newsom Rising, Unity Fading

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s chances of becoming the next President of the United States increased significantly after the current head of state, Donald Trump, decided to use tough measures to quell the riots in Los Angeles.

If—and when—this happens, it will mean a further deepening of the divide within the United States. This is because Newsom belongs to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and will likely face off against a Trump-aligned Republican. 

This does not bode well for the global superpower that has led the world for a long time, and which is increasingly being challenged by China economically, militarily, and politically. Nor is it good news for Western Europe, where people have, for far too long, operated under the assumption that the U.S. will selflessly take care of global security matters without EU countries investing in their own defense to the same extent.

That’s why it is important for Americans, after the Trump era, to succeed in finding more common ground rather than allowing politically opposed leaders to dig even deeper trenches between different segments of the population. And neither Newsom nor his potential Trumpist opponent is the right person to lead such a unifying process.

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Can Peace Emerge from Horrific War Crimes?

Sudan has been engulfed in civil war for nearly its entire period of independence, spanning almost sixty years. As a result, South Sudan gained independence in 2011, but peace did not follow.

The problem lies in the fact that two men, both backed by military power, aspire to lead Sudan. The first is President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, a general and the commander of the armed forces.

The other contender for power is General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, whose death was once declared but later denied, and who leads the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group of about 100,000 men capable of posing a formidable challenge to the army.

Thus, in 2023, these two men and their forces plunged Sudan into yet another ongoing civil war. To make matters worse, several foreign powers, including the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Iran, have become involved, yet the war remains unresolved.

As in all wars, civilians have suffered immeasurably. At its worst, they have been subjected to senseless violence.

For instance, Human Rights Watch has reported that RSF forces and their allied groups have committed horrific sexual crimes. Girls as young as seven have been abducted, held in slavery-like conditions, and raped daily.

Such atrocities demand justice. However, it seems unlikely that the perpetrators of African civil wars are ever held accountable for their crimes. Sadly, this will likely be the case in Sudan as well.

Even more disheartening is the fact that Sudanese society seems unable to live in peace, as there are always leaders eager to seize power through violence—and they inevitably find support for their ambitions. This, more than anything, effectively prevents the country from developing into a society capable of offering its citizens decent living conditions.

However, a glimmer of hope may lie in the fact that Western Europeans also waged wars for centuries, fighting under the banners of various kings, emperors, or power-seekers, destroying and pillaging as they went. Yet, since the Second World War, they have managed to maintain peace and improve living conditions for nearly 80 years.

Could the same be possible for Sudan?

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Cancellation of Taylor Swift's Concert in Austria Was a Success for the Terrorists

Terrorists with links to the ISIS organization achieved success in Austria when three concerts by an American pop star Taylor Swift were canceled. This is, of course, unfortunate news for those who had purchased tickets and were looking forward to seeing a major star.

However, an even more distressing situation is the impact on a liberal, organized society, which has been brought to its knees in front of terrorists. This is because, even though the Austrian authorities have apprehended them — or at least three of them — the damage is already done by demonstrating that terrorist acts can influence Western countries. I am sure that this will inspire those individuals who, for one reason or another, are interested in or even excited by terrorism.

It must be said, however, that the descendants of the former Austro-Hungarian empire have themselves partly to blame, as Finnish media have reported that the "suspected perpetrators are 15, 17, and 19 years old, individuals already known to authorities." Yet they were still roaming free in the middle of Europe.

This raises several questions, to which we are unlikely to get answers. For example, why were these three known to the authorities not returned to where they came from? And more broadly, why is Western Europe and its culture slowly committing suicide by allowing an endless queue of Muslims seeking a higher standard of living and social security across its borders, even though they have shown countless times (example, another, and a third) that they pose a risk to organized society?

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United Nations, corruption and terrorism

In Finland, a new president will be elected tomorrow, Sunday. One of the candidates, Sari Essayah of the Christian Democrats, stated in the final election debate that UN organizations are corrupt.

This statement shouldn't have caused much attention, as the corruption within the UN is considered a public secret – known to anyone who follows international affairs even remotely. However, addressing it more forcefully would lead to a crisis for the entire organization, so it is allowed to persist.

The presidential candidate's perspective emerged in the context of discussing development cooperation through the UN and the influence it provides in the third world. Finland is reducing the financial flows it contributes to this, which has sparked opposition, especially among those whose income and lifestyle depend on this activity.

In this regard, it was unpleasant to discover that deep-seated corruption is not the UN's only significant problem. This realization comes as it has been revealed that some of the organization's employees have even participated in terrorist activities and subsequently been dismissed from their positions.

I am referring, of course, to the news that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is horrified by the accusations, and there is now an urgent and comprehensive independent audit of UNRWA to verify its credibility. Having followed the actions of the UN for decades, I am not surprised by this development, and I have no doubt about the validity of the accusations.

However, it is good that the issue has now come to light, as it provides hope for change within the organization. Such change, though, requires the major funding states – namely the USA and other Western countries – to act decisively in this matter. If this happens, there may be renewed hope that the UN will one day become a useful organization.

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The Rwanda Law of Britain paves the way for the future of Western Europe

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - as the island nation's official name goes - is undergoing a process aimed at mitigating the impact of economic migrants from developing countries. In its latest development, the lower house of Parliament approved a bill that would designate Rwanda as a safe country, allowing asylum seekers to be sent there to await the processing of their cases— and, following a positive decision, potentially resettling them in the same country.

The bill now moves to the next stage, awaiting approval from the House of Lords, known as the curious relic of Britain's innate social inequality, the monarch's favorites, and the conclave of priests and senior jurists. If it also approves the bill, left-leaning legal scholars would no longer be able to argue claims of Rwanda's insecurity.

The entire process has, of course, arisen because so-called humanitarian immigrants have caused various issues in their new homeland. Muslims, in particular, are well-represented in violent crimes, accounting for about 20 percent, despite worshippers of Allah making up less than seven percent of the country's population.

This trend is familiar in Finland and other Western countries as well. Therefore, the decision of the British upper house is crucial for all of Western Europe, as it would likely halt asylum applications based on false premises in the island nation.

In the short term, this could mean increased pressure on EU countries. As a result, the ongoing rapid political developments in these countries (examples being Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Sweden) would likely accelerate, and the pressure to update international legislation related to asylum-seeking would strengthen.

This would not only be desirable but also vital for Western Europe to remain a prosperous home and haven for the continent's indigenous peoples and as a driving force for scientific and technological development serving the entire world.

Therefore, the outcome of Britain's Rwanda Law is by no means inconsequential, even for the Finns. On the contrary, its result is likely to shape our future and that of our descendants more profoundly than, for example, the ongoing presidential election.

The original thought in Finnish: 
Britannian Ruandalaki viitoittaa koko Länsi-Euroopan tulevaisuuden

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