For & Against debate series: “Finland has become militaristic”

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, security-related discussion has intensified and spread widely across Finnish society. This is reflected, among other things, in Finland’s NATO membership and the increased emphasis on responsibility for personal and national security. Security is seen as enabling democracy and the realization of human rights, but at the same time the question arises as to whether securitization has gone too far: at the outset of the war, solutions were sought primarily through military means, arms build-up is regarded as a virtue, and security considerations at times override legal and legislative perspectives.

This raises the question of whether society is becoming militarized. Should Finland wake up to the militarization of society, or should security-oriented thinking be understood as a natural and everyday part of contemporary life?

Responding to the claim are University Researcher in Political History Noora Kotilainen, Emeritus Professor of International Law and Academician of Science Martti Koskenniemi, Professor of Military Sociology Teemu Tallberg, and Professor of Practice in cybersecurity and Member of Parliament Jarno Limnell. The debate is moderated by Professor Jouni-Matti Kuukkanen.

The language of the debate is Finnish, but the YouTube recording will also be subtitled in English and available after a while.

The debate series is organized by the Eudaimonia Institute. The events are open to everyone and do not require advance registration. The discussion can be followed by logged-in users at kaleva.fi/live or on the University of Oulu’s YouTube channel.