The long-awaited but sadly too short Finnish summer is about to arrive. I am hoping to get more time to blog after the start of my annual vacation. The last few weeks have been quite busy as the autumn looms in the near future and my current fixed-term agreements are coming to an end.

In other words, if any interesting new jobs for an internationally-minded social scientist are available, let me know.  Any country will be considered.

It has been a winter of discontent in Finland. Lately, the big Finnish forest companies that have tradiotinally been the backbone of the Finnish economy, have announced factory closures and reduction of production in Finland. The forest sector is still the second largest brach of industry after the electrotechnical sector.

Unlike the British Winter of Discontent of 1979-1979, the Finnish workforce affected has been largely silent. The unions have not seriously considered going to strike but are trying to divert the attention to the politicians who being responsible - as the claim goes - of the state investment policy should have acted strongly. Moreover, the state’s share in Stora Enso - a huge paper company - is big enough for the state to demand the protection of factories and to guarantee that no profitable factories should be closed regardless of the comparative advantage.

Funny thing this is. With a few clicks of the mouse one can find a joint report (esp. pp. 47- 49, pp. 93-98) of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation and the Finnish Paper Workers’ Union from 2006 that clearly stipulates the challenges of the industry. The lag between even moderate insightfullness and an angry public reaction has been about two years. Human nature seems to mainly be optimistic about negative things maybe happening in the future such as the closure of Kemijärvi paper factory was two years ago.

The fallout now poisons some politicians who are - in my point of view - just scapegoats in this particular case. Explaining open markets and globalization to someone who has just lost his or her renumerative job in a far away province with very few jobs available requires more than a slick tongue. Pack your packs and move to southern Finland?

After some weeks of digital silence, I am online and running. Quite literally, actually. Not surprisingly the weather is getting better as the vacation ended. Thus, the weekend will be spent somewhere else than Espoo.

The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is retiring, in three weeks time to be more precise. He made his final speech as the UN SC at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library in Independence, Missouri.

Annan crystallized his 44 years at the UN in five thesis or principles, which he believes “are essential for the future conduct of international relations: collective responsibility, global solidarity, the rule of law, mutual accountability, and multilateralism.”

The most controversial - I assume - is Annan’s principle of mutual accountability. It goes straight against the much cherished and traditional assumption of state sovereignty. According to Annan - and his views are still quite conservative from the cutting edge theorizing of international relations discipline point of view - “governments must be accountable for their actions in the international arena, as well as in the domestic one.”

Annan continues: “As things stand, accountability between states is highly skewed. Poor and weak states are easily held to account, because they need foreign assistance. But large and powerful states, whose actions have the greatest impact on others, can be constrained only by their own people, working through their domestic institutions.

That gives the people and institutions of such powerful states a special responsibility to take account of global views and interests, as well as national ones.”

The first part of the quote is quite commonsensical and accepted by many. However, the key to betterment, if so judged, is rockier. How to ensure that the powerful do not stomp the weak? Furthermore, who should have power and say in international affairs? Is power there just to be catched and utilised by those who can? What restraints the potentially powerful not to abuse their abilities?

Do we need a global catastrophe that affects everyone to be able and willing to act collectively or would that just exaggerate the problems: run if you can. Sink or swim. Nobody is throwing you a life jacket.

The retiring Annan offered a ray of hope. He spoke of the Truman tradition and essentially about the ability of human beings to build their own future for the better. If they only would decide to do so.

I neither know Kofi Annan personally nor can be sure of his ability to change the world but the image that has reached me via media is one of calmness and a tribal chief-like wiseness. I hope that he manages to transfer these abilities to his successor for the betterment of all humanity.

I managed to get a day off from work and stayed in Barcelona after a work trip for an extra day. In addition to the amazing city of architechture, two million people, a nice coastline, good drink and food, Barcelona also has a pleasent weather as I write. Not snowing at least…+26 C to be honest.

The last and current weeks have been somewhat hectic. On Thursday I headed to Romania for a party congress, came back to Finland on Saturday, drove straight from the airport to Lappeenranta, spent an almost sleepless night there, started Sunday by a meeting, picked up my family from Imatra and drove back to Helsinki. On Monday the phone started ringing earlier that I would liked it to and the same pace has been maintained. On the other hand, one is under no obligations but those self-imposed.

The following weekend might be one of relaxation and meditation. We will see how the reality turns out to be.

There are people and there are political people. His holiness Dalai Lama belongs to the latter group, maybe more than many realize. How else can one explain that he managed to be one of the main issues of the question hour of the Finnish parliament - after he had visited Finland?

The opposition MPs tried in vain to lure ministers to give an honest answer to the question why any minister did not meet Dalai Lama while he was here. Even Minister of Foreign Affairs Tuomioja who is known for his symphatetic views towards oppressed nations and people had to bite his lip and say, truthfully, that the Government had not received any formal audience request from the Tibetan delegation. From a human rights point of view this was a bit sad.

Although HIM did not cross the big water and cancelled their US-tour, they have nevertheless managed to sell gold in the States, being the first Finnish band to achieve that quite remarkable accomplishment. Well done.

I do not get easily provoked but the latest episode in the latest Middle East crisis will add an additional straw on my back. An Israeli missile hit a UN post notwithstanding that the UN troops had contacted the Israelis ten times before the attack, which took the lives of four UN peacekeepers, including a Finn.

This kind of totally reckless behaviour makes me think how long can Israel continue to kill and maim with the rest of the world just standing by? Naturally this will not be the last Middle East crisis but it is now, sadly, closer to many Finns.