On the side trip to Helsinki as part of this year’s ALLIES Joint Research Project in Estonia, some of us visited the National Museum of Finland. The history of the country laid bare in front of us for our perusal, we learned about the geopolitical circumstances that played into some of Finland's major decisions - aligning itself with Nazi Germany towards the end of WWII, maintaining a strong standing military, refusing to join NATO etc. Finland has always felt a distinct lack of assurance by others with regard to its own security, and much of its approach to defense and foreign policy today is guided by a hard and realistic approach of self-reliance.
