Ahtisaari's recent book called "Miten tästä eteenpäin" ("The way ahead") investigates Finland's security. The book was penned in cooperation with diplomat and security expert Jaakko Iloniemi and Tapani Ruokanen, former chief editor of the Suomen Kuvalehti magazine — all Social Democrats politicians with impressive careers spanning from the President Urho Kekkonen-era in the 1970s.
Contrary to many Nordic security pundits who ascribe imminent NATO membership to the fictitious Russian "threat," Ahtisaari's logic is quite different.
"Puolueettomuushöpinä jatkuu", sanoo #Ahtisaari. "Suomi on läntinen demokratia eikä mikään puolueeton maa": https://t.co/f1yDkS1LrJ
— Mika Mäkeläinen (@Mikareport) October 4, 2016
"I've never proceeded from the idea that Russia was a threat to Finland. Instead, I have chosen an easier starting point, namely that Finland is a Nordic country, a Western democracy, one of the best by the way, and should be included in the organizations where the other Western democracies are. If one is a Western democracy, one should also act accordingly," Ahtisaari said, as quoted by Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet.
"We should leave the Swedes behind us, and do as they did when they started negotiating EU membership behind our back," Ahtisaari wrote in one of the book's chapters.
Remarkably, Ahtisaari himself let go of the opportunity to join NATO during his tenure as Finnish president (1994-2000). By Ahtisaari's own admission, it seemed "impossible" at that time. During his time as Finland's president, Ahtissari dismissed the so-called "NATO option" as an illusion, making an analogy to trying to obtain fire insurance when the fire has already started. However, Ahtisaari subsequently changed his tune. In 2014, he insisted that joining NATO would increase the international community's confidence in Finland.
Kovaa kamaa. Isoilla lihaksilla. #Ahtisaari #Iloniemi #turpo https://t.co/9qBuxl9EPq
— Petri Hakkarainen (@PHakkarainen) October 4, 2016
During the later stages of his political career, Ahtisaari became a vocal opponent of Finland's decade-long policy of maintaining formal independence while also being strongly influenced by its eastern neighbor the Soviet Union, internationally known as "Finlandization." This policy originated after World War II, after being formulated by President Juho Kusti Paasikivi, who emphasized the necessity to maintain a good and trusting relationship with the Soviet Union. In later years, it was maintained by Paasikivi's successor Urho Kekkonen.
Earlier this year, Ahtisaari stated that only Russia and the US are capable of solving the Syrian crisis and advocated lifting the sanctions off Russia.
