MORE than a century ago, the Finnish historian, Adolf Ivar Arwidsson, wrote: 'We are not Swedes. We don't want to be Russians . . . so let us be Finns.' History has not encouraged this northern nation straddling the Arctic Circle to integrate comfortably with its neighbours. Sweden claimed this nation of lakes and forests nearly a thousand years ago before relinquishing it to mighty Russia in the 19th century.
Even after declaring itself an independent republic during World War I, sharing a 1,000-kilometre border with Russia was an unnerving experience throughout the Cold War.
Suspicious of foreigners throughout, the Finns tended to be introspective; remaining wary of people and nations beyond their borders and making a living from timber and fur.
Yet, this year, Finland joined the European Union (EU). The previously reclusive nation of five million voted, like the legion of spies who stalked Helsinki during the Cold War, to come in from the cold. It may not have seemed such a drastic move to those unfamiliar with the country but, to Finns, it was a giant leap - the most far-reaching change in the history of post-war Finland.
Integration with Europe may have taken a long time but it sends a clear signal to the international community. Having previously protected her market against foreign business, Finland this year has become an 'open' economy.
Rather than hiding behind a shy and reluctantly ajar door, Finland is now proclaiming itself to be the 'Gateway to Northern Europe'. The land of lumber, paper mills and fur-farmers (not to mention melancholic poets and legendary vodka drinkers), has emerged, rather alarmingly to many rivals, as an industry leader in the field of high technology.
