National size and national strength are not the same thing. Finland is a minor state with capable forces and the resolve to resist, while its much larger neighbors possess a brittle kind of power rooted in coercive dictatorship. Their appearance of strength does not remove the weakness created by brutality toward their own populations. Finland's capability and resolve matter more here than national size alone.
Notable Point · 16:26-18:30
Why a minor power can still be strong
Finland illustrates how national strength can rest on institutions and resolve even when geography leaves a small state exposed to larger authoritarian neighbors.