Sanna Marín was this year the guest of the Traditional Lecture Series at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Former Prime Minister Sanna Marin appeared as the keynote speaker at a notable public event for the first time since leaving Parliament and moving to the Tony Blair Institute as a strategic advisor.
Finnish time, Marin took to the stage of a full medium-sized lecture hall at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Thursday morning. There were about a few hundred listeners in the auditorium. However, it was not a speech but an interview with long answers.
Marin notably appeared in the role of the former Prime Minister of Finland. Among other things, he criticized the caution of some countries in supporting Ukraine if their aim is to avoid escalating the war.
– What intensity are we still waiting for? To Marin’s surprise, there is a full-scale war going on in Europe.
– Any kind of peace is not enough. Ukraine must win.
Marin said he believed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine could have been avoided if European countries had responded more forcefully in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and planned war in eastern Ukraine. Had made.
Marin also introduced the audience to the concept of Finnishisation, the preparedness of Finnish society for crises and people’s trust in decision makers. To Finn’s ears, he said almost nothing new or particularly interesting. Even the American public asked the same questions that had been chewed over many times during the Russian war of aggression in Europe.
The university presented Marin as a more inspirational guest than usual, even though he has had several world-renowned speakers in the same traditional lecture series.
Marinia was interviewed by Kal Raustiala, director of the university’s Berkeley Center for International Relations, who has a Finnish family background. It mentions that his grandfather fought on the front against the Russians in World War II.
In his introduction, Raustiala praised that, as prime minister, Marin handled two major challenges well: first, leading Finland through the pandemic, then leading Finland into the military alliance NATO. Raustiala said Marin understands the Russian threat better than most.
On the question whether Finland joined NATO under the leadership of the people or politicians, Marin replied that both.
– When we saw that Russia was ready to use force against neighboring countries, we could no longer rely on our working relationship with Russia, Marin reflected after Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. Told about the sudden change.
– We thought about what border Russia would not cross, and we concluded that that border is NATO membership. Therefore, Finland’s decision to join NATO was an act of peace.
Marin appeared at the University in an all-white outfit consisting of wide-leg pants, a shirt, and a headband. Earlier in the day, in the Overdue Stories section of his Instagram account, he posted typical tourist photos and videos, for example, of a rooftop terrace and the famous Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
Marin’s appearance was part of a series of annual lectures called the Bernard Brodie Distinguished Lectures on the Conditions of Peace.
The lecture series, which began in 1980, has previously included former US President Jimmy Carter and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon from South Korea. Last year, the guest was Luis Moreno Ocampo of Argentina, a former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The recording of Marin’s interview, which lasted more than an hour, was promised for viewing on the Berkeley Center’s YouTube channel.
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