by Anish Suterwala:
“I’m an eternally displaced person,” Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President of Finland Martii Ahtisaari said. “Perhaps that partly explains why my career has developed the way it has.” When the Soviet Union invaded his native Finland during World War II, Ahtisaari’s family took to the road. Ahtisaari has been wandering ever since, playing prominent roles in humanitarian aid across three continents and several countries, including Namibia, Indonesia, Kosovo, and Iraq.
Ahtisaari first spoke about Finland in the context of current trends towards globalization. “Finland, as you know, is a small nation in the northeastern corner of Europe – its geographic location has both advantages and disadvantages.” Finland, according to Ahtisaari, has been far from the European center of culture and business and thus for a long time has been “somewhat inward looking.” Today, things are different. “Finland is a member of the EU and today the majority of the Finnish share the view that we are part of Europe,” he said. The traditional distinctions between what is domestic and what is international have greatly lessened. Ahtisaari said that in this Sunday’s coming parliamentary elections, the issues dominating the platforms have been “as much about European affairs as about internal affairs.”
He then transitioned into a discussion of globalization and the burgeoning youth in the world, citing the “political tsunami in North Africa” as an example. “In these socially and economically stagnant societies, prospects for a decent life are poor,” he said. Despite the resources and oftentimes wealth of the elite in these countries, “the vast majority of their citizens are poor, many even destitute.” As a result of globalization and the population explosion of people aged 18 to 25, through “modern media and mass communications youths know life could be very different and are aware of opportunities that they so far do not enjoy.”
Not unexpectedly, these dissatisfied youth have shown their rage in the form of revolutions. Ahtisaari said that a positive factor of this restlessness is that it has spurred pursuit of democratic values and human rights. He also said that it stems mainly from massive youth unemployment. “In Africa and Arabia between fifty and seventy-five percent of the population is youth,” he said. “Only some fifty percent of them are gainfully employed.” The recent economic downturn has only exacerbated the issue. The numbers of youth are “increasing faster than employment opportunities” and thus many young people end up in jobs with little to do with their qualifications, are poorly paid, and are unhealthy.
“A young person without a job, unable to afford decent food, is an explosive combination,” Ahtisaari said. Youth unemployment too often leads to drugs and violence and creates a breeding ground for criminal and terrorist activities. “And, the sense of being useless [to society] is a heavy burden to carry,” he said. The solution is not to provide an inflow of capital, because that does not necessarily create jobs in the sectors that the youth would work in. Instead, Ahtisaari suggested entrepreneurship initiatives, much like one called Silatech with which he is involved. “The purpose is to connect young people with opportunities and jobs,” he said. “Also to change the mindset and to influence governments to be more favorable to those creating jobs for young people.”
In the end, Ahtisaari said, “we are citizens of the world. It will perhaps take a good deal of time before global balance is a possibility.” The youth, he said, would lead the initiative. “The youth first, others following, some dragging their feet, but all will move forward.”
Anisha Suterwala ’14 is a freshman in Timothy Dwight College. Contact her at anisha.suterwala@yale.edu.