Pragmatism in an age of uncertainty

IN A recent interview with journalist Matt Chorley on the BBC, Finnish president Alexander Stubb offered a quietly compelling lesson in how to think about a world that feels increasingly unstable.

There was no grandstanding, no sweeping ideology – only a steady emphasis on realism, adaptability and the discipline of clear-eyed judgment.

It is a tone that stands in contrast to much of today’s geopolitical discourse, which often swings between alarmism and idealism. What emerges instead from the Finnish perspective is something more grounded: a worldview shaped by history, geography and the necessity of living with uncertainty.