The Spring of Militarism (Militarismin kevät)

Author
Essi Rossi

Category
Opinion
Rant

Date
Apr 11, 2026 (Finnish Version)
October 3, 2026 (English Version)

Note: This English version was translated from the Finnish original with the help of AI. Some nuances may differ from the original text. In case of doubt, access the original text in Finnish here.

Have you noticed that art institutions are collaborating with the National Defence University, and that intersectional feminist eco-influencers are attending national defence courses in military uniforms?*

I have. However, I have only seen critical commentary regarding National defence courses: Riikka Suominen’s article in Vihreä Lanka (from 2016!) and Pilvi Takala’s recently released video work, which I will return to later, as well as Jenni Rotonen’s (Jennipupulandia) Instagram posts.

In addition, Noora Kotilainen has commendably highlighted the danger of militarization in her columns for Kansan uutiset, where she discusses, among other things, the threat that a one-sided debate poses to democracy and asks “Why do Finns love the armed forces’ indoctrination apparatus and willingly submit to influence that, in another context, would appear to be a brainwashing machine?” **

On Spoiling the Mood

I've been ranting for a few months now about the collaboration between the Theatre Academy and the Association of Finnish Theatres with the National Defence University. I've spoken about the general militarization that seems to permeate the arts scene uncritically as well. In this text, I intend to continue my rant. Not because this is my favorite topic (my favorite topics include sexuality and the potential of the stage in an era of multicrises), or to argue that such collaboration shouldn't exist, but because a strange silence surrounds the issue. The silence feels unsettling. The situation brings to mind those overly tense family gatherings where there are no safe topics of conversation and everyone drinks a little too much so as not to ruin the mood. The mood, however, is already ruined, and keeping quiet won't fix it. You can always leave a family gathering, but you can't escape this one by walking out.

Russian playwright and dissident Mikhail Durnenkov spoke of a similar observation when we worked together a few years ago. He described what happened in Russia after the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and what made the invasion of Ukraine possible nearly ten years later. When politics began to tear families apart, families stopped talking about politics. Eventually, they stopped talking altogether because it was no longer safe. Yet that silence, which was thought to bring peace, was actually a step closer to war.

Right now, silent acceptance frightens me more than war does. I have been thinking about Klaus Mann's Mephisto, which was banned after its publication in 1936 and finally published in full only in 1984. Mephisto is about the actor Hendrik Höfgen, who seizes the opportunity as the Nazis rise to power. In keeping with the Faust myth, he sells his soul to the devil, and thus Höfgen's career takes off; he becomes a prominent artist and theatre director. Mephisto explores how intelligent, talented, and ethically conscious people are willing to choose violence, destruction, and death when it serves their own interests.

I'm not saying that the current situation is comparable to Nazi Germany and World War II, but no one knows what will happen in the near future. Do you remember the frog-and-pot metaphor, the one where the frog in the pot doesn't notice as the water is gradually heated, and eventually boils to death?

The Surprising Similarities of Unlikely Allies

Let's get to the point. Here is what has happened:

In January, I was at the Käänne Festival, which promotes social change, listening to a discussion titled Unlikely Allies, featuring Elina Knihtilä, a professor at the University of the Arts Helsinki, and Janne Känkänen, CEO of the National Emergency Supply Agency. The discussion focused on the collaboration and culture of the Theatre Academy and the National Defence University as part of security of supply. In the packed Kulmasali hall, Knihtilä and Känkänen discussed, among other things, crisis preparedness and the significance of culture as part of national security of supply. In addition, at the beginning of the event, a video greeting was shown from a shooting camp by Aki-Mauri Huhtinen, a professor at the National Defence University and a general staff colonel (currently the Director of Communications for the Finnish Defence Forces). Huhtinen spoke of his long-standing warm relationship with Knihtilä and the Theatre Academy, and, among other things, how they have familiarized themselves with each other's leadership models and organized a joint advocacy event at the Finnish National Theatre in 2025.

"We have a surprising amount of similar activity. (....) Just as actors and theatre people have a script, we have a firing order, and just as they build sets and props, we build target equipment and training areas, and they have their premieres and we have our own practice sessions, and then both groups have their own H hours."

Behind this unlikely alliance lies not only years of cooperation but also a 24-page report published in 2024 by the National Emergency Supply Agency titled Security of Supply in the Cultural Sector, in which culture is referred to as a "mental resource."

Knihtilä said she realized that when major budget cuts to arts were announced, artists were left high and dry because we have no effective advocacy, and we aren't even considered important. And yet we still fight among ourselves over resources with disgusting self-righteousness.

And it was precisely then that the National Defence University called her and asked, "Do you need help?"

It wasn't clear to me what kind of help the National Defence University could offer amid funding cuts to the arts, but to my surprise, at the left-wing festival around me, people were chuckling and nodding. Knihtilä is funny, so there was also a lot of laughter:

"Finns are the kind of people who go to summer theatre in the pouring rain to watch the story of how we lost the war."

At the end, Knihtilä skillfully steered the conversation toward the issues I believe we should be discussing: the importance of diversity in art and among artists, a functional network of municipal theatres and cultural services throughout Finland, and the fact that stories about Finland are told not only through the heroic tales of Louhimies (Lapland War) and Jokinen (The Story of Kullervo). What kind of art is funded here, and how much is culture valued?

However, no one asked the question we should be asking:

Why is the Theatre Academy partnering specifically with the National Defence University?

I didn't ask it either. Why? Because it feels a little silly? Because it feels like I'm overreacting? Because, as was repeated in the discussion, this collaboration has nothing to do with militarization, or war, or death, or artistic freedom, or even reality. The fact presented, however, was that the world is undergoing unprecedented change and it would be foolish not to prepare for various threats (which can be prepared for with weapons). Besides, for once, the cultural sector is seen as a socially significant actor!!!!!!!!

I can't help but think that the underlying idea behind this uncritical repetition is that, as the right-wing government ruthlessly dismantles arts funding and the structures of the welfare state, the Finnish theatre scene might just barely survive—if only we cooperate with the defence forces. After all, defence is currently at the heart of power and funding. Perhaps a portion of NATO's budget could be scraped together for us as well?

In Totalitarian States, Artists Are the First to Be Silenced

In an interview with Suomen Kuvalehti in early April (sensationally titled Elina Knihtilä's War), Knihtilä is described as "a cultural enthusiast from Etutöölö who is fascinated by war and power." Journalist Tyyne Pennanen asks Knihtilä what would happen if the National Defence University did indeed try to exert influence over the Theatre Academy. "The generals would certainly be pleased if young theatre and film makers had a strong commitment to national defence." The question makes Knihtilä laugh. To her, the question is about "normal interaction" and what artists who consider themselves open-minded can gain if they look beyond their own bubble.

Pennanen continues:
"Bringing people in close is, of course, an old way of silencing criticism. From the 1960s to the mid-1970s, President Kekkonen invited young influencers—such as politicians, cultural figures, and journalists—to evening gatherings. These gatherings became a tradition that came to be known as the 'Tamminiemi children's parties.'"

In Knihtilä's view, this is the genius of dictators. "But what's interesting is that in totalitarian states, artists are always the first to be silenced. That speaks to the significance of art." And then the question: So, is it possible that the National Defence University is trying to silence you? "That would be manipulation. I don't have that much power in the art world," Knihtilä replies.

A few days later, I finally posted a few Instagram stories about the collaboration* between Theatre Academy and the Finnish Theaters Association and the National Defence University: "My question is: why would an arts institution that champions diversity ally itself with a militaristic institution that opposes diversity? Is that where the missing advocacy lies? Is that where future leadership training is found? If the goal is to train artists to act and lead projects in these times, why not invite Extinction Rebellion to collaborate?"

My inbox is filling up with messages from colleagues radiating a mix of confusion and disgust. For many, the collaboration comes as a complete surprise. Those who have followed it with disbelief and a sense of paralysis write about fear, (self-)censorship, and specifically that "they have power."

Because the performing arts field in Finland is small, there is a fear that public discourse will strain relationships and cause problems. Admittedly, I, too, feel bad about making a mountain out of a molehill in this way, but I also think it is the responsibility of art institutions to engage in social discourse on, for example, the freedom of art and artists, because that responsibility cannot be shifted onto the shoulders of individual artists.

This isn't about Knihtilä, Theatre Academy, Finnish Theatre Association, or the key cultural figures who participated in the national defence courses. I believe that no one wants to deliberately promote militarization or sell out artistic freedom, and Knihtilä, too, hopes for a critical discussion on the subject.

We Have Alternative Ways of Living

In the hope of sparking a broader discussion, I wrote to Susanna Hast immediately after the Käänne Festival. She is not only an artist I greatly admire but also a docent in artistic research and a scholar specializing in violence, trauma, and the experience of war. Susanna has also co-edited, with Noora Kotilainen, the book Sodan pauloissa – militarismi suomalaisessa yhteiskunnassa ("In the Grip of War: Militarism in Finnish Society", Gaudeamus 2024), which questions Finns' sacred relationship with war and the military and sheds light on how militarism permeates Finnish society unchallenged.

"This really provokes me, also because no alternative is offered, and militarization is downplayed. I was wondering if you'd have wanted to/been able to talk about this with me?"

Susanna replies that it's funny you asked, since she was supposed to be moderating that very discussion, and that she "sees no reason for culture to be militarized." Or rather, that she sees "a whole lot of problems" with it.

We meet at Tekstin talo.

"If the discussion has only one tone—namely, that it's wonderful to include art in national security—then, in my opinion, art is already lost. The ideology of militarism does not allow for anything in art that runs counter to it. Or is there some military junta state where there is freedom of art? No, because in a militarily led society, art must be ready to serve the interests of the state."

Hast reminds us that we have alternative ways of thinking about the world, and alternative ways of living. Militarism, however, does not allow for pacifist measures or interests. Hast describes militarism as an affect that flows from the military sphere into the civilian sphere and takes over its institutions, bodies, desires, and thoughts.

According to Hast, the ideology of militarism demands that we not think things through to their logical conclusion, but that is precisely what we, as artists and as human beings, should do. "We have this fantastical notion that Russia will cross the border and then there will be a hell of a war, but it's important for citizens to remember to prepare for this with a five-day supply of water. But what happens after those five days, when the water is gone? What happens then?"

"We should start by acknowledging the reality of war—what a body looks like after stepping on a landmine. We should consider the escape routes taken by refugees and provide the public with information about which locations and areas are most at risk in an armed conflict. And, for example, we should invest in the female-dominated care sector, because it is absolutely central to security of supply, but that is not happening right now."

Riikka Suominen reflects on the same issue in an article for Vihreä Lanka (Now I Know Why the Defence Forces Always Have Money, 2016), which she wrote based on her own experiences from a national defence course. She is not allowed to write about the course's content, but "it can be said that the course is Finland's best lobbying machine."

"The course doesn't just cover the military but Finland's overall security—meaning, for example, power outages, pandemics, extremist movements, and to some extent climate change as well. But when security is discussed as a guest of men in uniform at the Defence Forces' facilities, it leads one to think of security primarily in terms of the armed forces. The program has surprisingly little to say about diplomacy, mediation, and conflict resolution. Development cooperation is not mentioned at all as a security measure. In my view, these issues would be crucially important for the security of Finland—and the world. What if social workers were given 116 hours to brief policymakers on preventing social exclusion? What if, instead of tanks, we visited a shelter for people struggling with substance abuse? We'd consider what additional investments could be made to eradicate homelessness, and we'd do group work on preventing displacement?"

Suominen quickly realizes during the course that the values she shares with her close circle in everyday life are viewed as extreme pacifism in the course. No one openly questions the claims made in the course, such as that immigration threatens Finland's security. Suominen speaks up to ask questions, even though she fears being labeled a troublesome teenager.

"The thing is, before the course, I knew next to nothing about defence policy. My pacifism is based on values, not knowledge. And even if I did know, it's impossible to debate issues like arms buildup. Assessing military threats relies on classified information. The people in the Defence Forces always have the upper hand when it comes to information."

This excess can be recognized in the atmosphere in which we now find ourselves, ten years later. The water has warmed up just enough for the frogs to start maturing. Finland has joined NATO and is conducting arms deals with Israel, which is guilty of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and is waging war in Iran and Lebanon. The global tectonic plates are in wild motion as Trump casts his eye now on Greenland, now on Iran, and Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine has continued for four years. Both Suominen and Kotilainen cite the ecological crisis as the gravest existential threat, but the state of the world suggests that we'll only return to the ecological crisis once there's nothing left to save.

I manage to get my hands on Pilvi Takala's video work Feeling Defensive (Part One), 2025, which deals with the national defence course, with the note that this is the first part of a series, as there is plenty to chew on regarding the subject. Takala participated in the 250th course. National civil defence courses began as early as 1961 in the spirit of "total defense" to strengthen cooperation between civilian and military leaders. Over 10,000 social influencers have participated in the courses.

Takala's work conveys a sense of bewilderment at participating in the course, and she describes the experience as being like regressing to elementary school. The course is dominated by group discipline, fear of punishment, and uncertainty. The course participants do not know what will happen next, and they are, for example, unexpectedly marched around in military uniforms. Takala realizes that she has been cast in the role of the skeptic on the course and explains how reluctant she is to play this part. No one in the group asks critical questions because no one wants to be seen in a bad light. Three weeks later, as the course nears its end, a group discussion ponders, among other things, how to get artists to create patriotic art during a crisis when they are all liberals?

I think it's easy. Hast agrees: throughout history, art and artists have been used as an extension of military power. Those connections exist. I don't know about you, but to me it doesn't sound all that far-fetched that if a grant foundation announced it would award generous grants to projects carried out in collaboration with the National Defence University or that bolster the role of culture as part of security of supply, projects would spring up like mushrooms after rain. Or conversely: if funding were no longer granted for, say, critical research projects on militarism, such research would no longer be conducted (at least not with funding).

Lilli Paasikivi, former director of the Finnish National Opera and "hostess of the 218th National Defence Course," wrote in the 2022 issue of National Defence Magazine:

"Free art needs no justification, nor does it need to serve any moral or social objectives. Is independent, absolute art, however, merely a privilege of peacetime? Do the content and interpretations of art change in a crisis situation? Is art harnessed with new meanings? A work of art communicates powerfully to its viewer, but at the same time it allows for diverse interpretations. The message of empowering art can be unifying, strengthening, disarming, or inspiring a spirit of defense."

In the United States, political manipulation has already cut funding for, among others, feminist artists, artists belonging to gender and sexual minorities, and related themes and institutions. In the United States, a 2025 presidential executive order also banned hundreds of words from the websites, applications, or other materials of public entities or projects funded by them. The words include, among others, woman, Black, LGBTQ, transgender, diversity, and climate crisis. The effects are global.

This comes as no surprise to Hast. According to her, militarism has always prevailed in Finland.

"It's part of Finland's identity. After all, an armed force like the one Finland has couldn't exist if the threat from an enemy weren't considered acute." And the army is also based on beliefs, such as the idea that Finnish soldiers are special, ethical, and well-trained, and do not commit any immoral acts.

"When I first went to the National Defence University, a commander told me that Finnish soldiers do not commit war crimes. It's the Arabs who do that. I had a Palestinian scarf around my neck. And then I thought, well, what about that civil war, and later came Ilmari Käihkö's book on Finnish peacekeepers, which doesn't paint such a rosy picture of Finnish soldiers around the world (Ilmari Käihkö: A Soldier's Diary: How Peacekeeping Became Crisis Management, 2024)."

Hast points out that the military obeys political leadership, and Finland's political leadership currently includes far-right figures. That, too, is something that was hard to believe was possible just a few years ago.

I am left pondering the silence of otherwise vocal artists and art institutions, as well as their responsibility in today's increasingly militarized world, where the future is shaped at every moment by the words and actions we speak and perform—or fail to speak and perform. Are we sure we'll notice when the water starts to reach boiling point? And do we have to wait until then?

According to Hast, artists must be the ones who resist, ask questions, and refuse to enter into dubious alliances. No one else will do it. At the end of our meeting, she sends a message: "And borrow Katri Vala's book Henki ja aine (Spirit and Matter) from the library. In it, you'll see how Vala warned against the militarization of everything back in the 1930s. It's chilling reading."

Here it is:

"Our cultural funding has been cut to the bare minimum, our science is languishing, our artists are practically on welfare for the poor, living unnoticed and abandoned, feeling useless in their own country, which has no other pastimes than sports and the clanging of weapons. The quality of our periodicals is low; cultural magazines eke out a meager existence and are persecuted unless they become vehicles for Nazi propaganda."

Sources and links

*Maria Veitola: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFFypNFNVXs/
Jenni Pupulandia: https://www.instagram.com/p/DR1e0BvjfwV/
Julia Thurén: https://www.instagram.com/p/DCrznBTN1Xr/

**Noora Kotilainen: Jos haluat rauhaa- varustaudu rauhaan (2025/KU)
https://www.ku.fi/artikkeli/5155237-jos-haluat-rauhaa-varustaudu-rauhaan

Noora Kotilainen: Maanpuolustuskurssit- vaikuttajaviestinnän verraton innovaatio (2025/KU)
https://www.ku.fi/artikkeli/5134150-maanpuolustuskurssit-vaikuttajaviestinnan-verraton-innovaatio

Riikka Suominen: Nyt tiedän miksi puolustusvoimille riittää aina rahaa (Vihreä Lanka, 2016)
https://www.vihrealanka.fi/essee/nyt-tied%C3%A4n-miksi-puolustusvoimille-riitt%C3%A4%C3%A4-aina-rahaa.html

Pilvi Takala: Feeling defensive (Part one), 2025
https://pilvitakala.com/feeling-defensive-part-1

Pilvi Takalan haastattelu (2026/ Voima)
https://voima.fi/artikkeli/2026/taiteilija-maanpuolustustehtavissa/

Lilli Paasikivi: Kulttuuri, resilienssi ja maanpuolustustahto (Maanpuolustuslehti, 2022)
https://www.maanpuolustus-lehti.fi/kulttuuri-resilienssi-ja-maanpuolustustahto/#:~:text=Kulttuuri%2C%20resilienssi%20ja%20maanpuolustustahto%20%2D%20Maanpuolustus%2Dlehti.

Yhden totuuden maa (04/2026 HS)
https://www.hs.fi/politiikka/art-2000011915868.html

Käänne-festivaali: tallenne keskustelusta Epätodennäköiset liittolaiset: Huoltovarmuus x Elina Knihtilä (01/2026)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxT9tO7Ons8

Kulta: Kulttuuri on osa huoltovarmuutta
https://kulttuurijataide.fi/kulttuuri-on-osa-huoltovarmuutta/

*Suomen teatterit ry:
https://suomenteatterit.fi/2026/02/varusmiehet-teatterin-katsomoon-millaista-on-se-suomalainen-kulttuuri-jonka-puolustamista-harjoitellaan/

Susanna Hast ja Noora Kotilainen (toim): Sodan pauloissa - militarismi suomalaisessa yhteiskunnassa (Gaudeamus 2024)
https://www.gaudeamus.fi/teos/sodan-pauloissa/

Hallitus ei aio hyväksyä maahanmuuttoon liittyvää tutkimusohjelmaa- Tutkija: historiallinen poliittinen interventio (HS 2023)
https://www.hs.fi/politiikka/art-2000009999707.html

Tieteen akateemikot lähettivät ministerille poikkeuksellisen kirjeen (HS 2025)
https://www.hs.fi/politiikka/art-2000010961401.html

Ilmari Käihkö: Sotilaan päiväkirja - kuinka rauhanturvaaminen muuttui kriisinhallinnaksi (Gaudeamus, 2024)
https://www.gaudeamus.fi/teos/sotilaan-paivakirja/

Kun Venäjä hyökkäsi, Ilmari Käihkö romahti huutoitkuun (YLE 2025)
https://yle.fi/a/74-20178243

Sari Näre ja Jenni Kirves (toim): Ruma sota - talvi- ja jatkosodan vaiettu historia (WSOY 2013)
https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruma_sota

Maanpuolustuskurssit:
https://www.maanpuolustuskurssiyhdistys.fi/historia

Suomen kuvalehti: Elina Knihtilän sota
https://suomenkuvalehti.fi/paajutut/maanpuolustus-tuli-teatterikouluun-elina-knihtila-kertoo-mista-on-kysymys/

Uusi Juttu: Kielletyt sanat (3.4.2025)
https://www.uusijuttu.fi/juttu/sz3C93PB-ajGnjjwc-24fcd

Katri Vala: Henki ja aine eli yksinäisen naisen pölynimuri: taistelevia pakinoita (Vapauden kirjapaino, 1945)

Thank you, Susanna (and for almost all the links, too!) and my other close friends who served as critical proofreaders and commenters <3

Image courtesy of the author

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