
Perfect Compromise: Welcome to the nerve-wracking reality of being Finland - jseliger
http://harpers.org/blog/2015/08/perfect-compromise/
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dalke
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?

