I can say nothing about the Finnish politics or the historical context of what appears to be a thoughtful and well-written piece. I can only comment about what

I can say nothing about the Finnish politics or the historical context of what appears to be a thoughtful and well-written piece. I can only comment about what is almost a throw-away comment > When they go to neighboring Sweden, they say they are “going to Europe.” When Swedes go to Germany, France, Italy, etc. they also say they are "going to Europe". In addition to my personal experience of hearing Swedes say, here are some evidence: http://honours-se.com/11963-MC_Resa_Till_Alperna.html http://honours-se.com/11963-MC_Resa_Till_Alperna.html - "Ska iväg 4-5 veckor på mc-sväng nere i europa ..." = "Going way for 4-5 weeks on a motorcycle swing down in Europe" http://www.stromstad-tanumbuss.se/ http://www.stromstad-tanumbuss.se/ - "Om ni vill åka med företaget till konferensen, hockeylaget till matchen eller om ni vill åka med kompisgänget till Europa, så löser vi det." = "If you all want to travel with the company to the conference, the hokey team to the match or if you want to travel with your pals to Europe, we can solve it." If the phrase "going to Europe" reveals special insight about the Finns relationship with Russia, then what does the same phrase reveal about the Swedish relationship with Russia?