Member-only story
The End of an Illusion
The Russian invasion of Ukraine shows there’s nothing to save us from this new era of instability.
I woke up to anxious messages from my family in Finland today.
“It’s started,” was the first one.
Russia invading European countries is a true nightmare for us, and we can’t stop wondering where it will end.
My sister is already preparing for the nightmare scenario of running away from bombings in Helsinki, where she lives, with my 5-year-old nephew. I mean, Finland was a part of the Russian Empire, and the Soviets did invade us twice in WWII. And Finland is not in NATO.
My Mom is planning to escape to Argentina if things go really, really bad. Thanks to this country’s open-door policy and me already residing here, my whole family would be welcome here.
I understand the sentiment. We’re an anxious bunch in my family. My fear of WWIII is what sparked my interest in studying international relations, after all. I can’t say I’m less worried these days, I’ve mostly just understood I’ll never be able to analyze all the variables.
I do see some bigger tendencies rising, and I’m feeling pessimistic today.
