US embassy cable - 03HELSINKI1579

UNCLAS HELSINKI 001579 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IIP/T/PS; IIP/G/EUR; INFO EUR/PD- 
PATTKINSSON 
 
E.O.12958:N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KPAO, FI 
SUBJECT: U.S. SPEAKERS LEO MICHEL (TRACKER 19904) 
AND JOHN HULSMAN (TRACKER 19905) 
 
REF: HELSINKI 001209 
 
1. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Dr. Leo Michel, INSS, and 
Dr. John Hulsman, Heritage Foundation, visited 
Helsinki for two program days (November 20-21) to 
participate in the Atlantic Council of Finland's 
(ACF) major conference on the transatlantic 
security relationship on Nov. 21.  A total of 4 
U.S. speakers (in addition to subject speakers, 
Jeffrey Gedmin from the Aspen Institute in Berlin 
and Michael Mihalka from the Marshall Center) 
expounded and defended the USG's approaches to 
dealing with international terrorism, new security 
threats, and multilateral institutions. 
 
2. DATE; FISCAL YEAR, AND QUARTER: Nov. 20-21, 
2003; FY-04, 1st QUARTER 
 
3. JUSTIFICATION AND OBJECTIVE: to address mutual 
understanding and transatlantic security 
 
4. MPP THEME: Mutual Understanding; Transatlantic 
Relations 
 
5. AUDIENCE: Finland's key decision-makers, 
government officials, politicians, historians, 
business and cultural leaders, university faculty 
and students 
 
6. RESULT/IMPACT: 
 
During their 2-day visit, the speakers also met 
with advanced students at the National Defence 
College of Finland, gave several tv and print 
interviews (commenting on the vital need for a 
global response to terrorism and, in the context of 
the recent bombings, Turkey's continuing 
integration into the West), briefed 
parliamentarians and defense officials, and debated 
further with key international relations experts at 
representational events. While not all Finnish 
interlocutors were persuaded that the U.S. is 
committed to multilateralism, they were impressed 
by the substantive and realistic, rather than 
ideological, positions presented by the American 
speakers.  The ACF conference advanced the 
discussion about Finland's evolving security 
relationships, including possible NATO membership, 
at a time when Finland is exploring new responses 
to challenges in its upcoming white paper on 
defense. 
 
7. NON-USG SOURCES OF IN COUNTRY FUNDING/SUPPORT 
AND AMOUNT: Lecture venues, promotion and 
invitations to lectures (jointly with other 
organizers). 
 
8. QUALITY OF U.S. SUPPORT: Excellent/PAS-Helsinki 
wishes to extend special tanks to IIP/T/PS-Whitney 
Crockford, Jody Rose Platt, Jeremy Prout and Brenda 
Butler and also IIP/G/EUR Kevin Ellison for their 
persistence and perseverance in recruiting speakers 
for the seminar which, in the words of Ambassador 
McElveen-Hunter, was the best she has attended in 
Finland during her two-year stay here. 
 
9. As stated in reftel, Post plans to use I-Bucks 
to cover the costs for the IIP-recruited speakers. 
 
 
MCELVEEN-HUNTER