Mika Aaltola

Mika Petteri Aaltola (born 2 May 1969)[1][2] is a Finnish political scientist and director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. He has gained media attention during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which he follows and regularly comments on.[3] Aaltola holds a doctorate in social sciences. He works as docent at Tampere University, and is a part-time professor at Tallinn University.[4] He is running for President of Finland in 2024.

Mika Aaltola
Aaltola in 2022
Born
Mika Petteri Aaltola

(1969-05-02) 2 May 1969
Petäjävesi, Finland
NationalityFinnish
OccupationPolitical scientist

His sister is philosopher Elisa Aaltola.[5]

Early life and university

Aaltola was born in Jämsänkoski on 2 May 1969.[6][7] He grew up in the village of Kintaus in Petäjävesi, where his mother Sinikka Aaltola worked as a primary school teacher since 1974. His father Juhani Aaltola was a professor of education at the University of Jyväskylä. Mika Aaltola's sister is animal philosopher Elisa Aaltola.[8]

Aaltola completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Columbia University in New York City. Aaltola then moved to Tampere, took up political science, and got his doctorate in 1999.[9]

Career

In 2019, he published the book Poutasään jälkeen (English: After the dry weather) about international politics since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2014.[10][11][12] The same year, Aaltola was elected director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, where he had been working since 2011 as leader of the research project on global security.[13]

Aaltola was named Tampere University alumnus of the year in September 2022.[14] In October, he released the book Mihin menet Suomi? Pelon aika Euroopassa, a collection of his notes and texts from June 2021 to July 2022.[15] His latest book, Havahtuminen (English: Awakening), is set to be released in early October.[16]

Ukraine war (2022 onwards)

Upon the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Aaltola became a prominent voice in Finnish foreign policy.[17] Aaltola also gained popularity in culture and media.[18] In addition to being an active commentator on domestic and global affairs, Aaltola also appeared in numerous TV-shows, such as Elämäni Biisi.[19]

Early speculation

Owing to his high-profile during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Aaltola rose to the peak position of an October 2022 poll in anticipation of the presidential elections in 2024. Aaltola responded that he found it unlikely he would become president, but that if he ran, he would do so as an independent.[20][21]

Announcement

On 3 August 2023, Aaltola announced in Luumäki his intention to run for president as an independent, saying he ”felt an obligation” to help Finland. In his speech, he mentioned that:

"One cannot refuse (the presidency) just because the road is narrow. You have to be ready to take on challenges, especially when the world is in great turmoil. Finland needs a reforming president and a new kind of leadership".[22]

Campaign

Since his announcement, Aaltola has been actively campaigning, whilst being off duty from his role at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.[23] Since he is running as an independent, his team is still collecting the required 20,000 support cards, though Aaltola has claimed that the current number is "already five-fold".[24] His campaign is active on X (previously Twitter), Meta-platforms, LinkedIn and TikTok.[25]

Views

Aaltola is running his 2024 Presidential campaign on a platform of support for Ukraine, increase in defense spending to 3%, support for NATO, and allowing for weapons from the United States to be stored in Finland for strategic purposes.[26]

Personal life

Aaltola is married to Kirsi Aaltola, and their first child was born in April 2022.[27][28]

At the age of 37, Aaltola had a benign brain tumor removed from the frontal cavity whilst in the United States. According to Aaltola, the probability of dying from the operation would have been as high as 80 percent. Aaltola survived, but his right eye was damaged, as a result of which he lost 30 percent of his vision.[29]

Aaltola is a Christian by religion.[30]

References
  1. Mika Aaltola analysoi Ukrainan sodan käänteitä esikoisen syntymän kynnyksellä - Seura (in Finnish)
  2. Ulkopoliittinen - Yle (in Finnish)
  3. Kymäläinen, Simo; Kakko, Teemu; Raimoaho, Asmo (6 May 2022). "Mika Aaltolan perheessä on kolme harvinaista karvatonta terrieriä – katso, montako tietyn rotuista koiraa on kotipaikkakunnallasi". Yle.
  4. Pukka, Linda (27 February 2022). "Kun maailmalla rähistään, tv:ssä on Mika Aaltola – johtaja herää viideltä analysoimaan maailmaa ja ehtii vastaamaan kansalaispuheluihin". Yle.
  5. "Sinikka Aaltola: "Jonkun elämä voi mennä niin, ettei siinä ole yhtään valoa"". Petäjävesi (in Finnish). 18 May 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  6. Pennanen, Tyyne (2022-03-17). "Mika Aaltola analysoi sodan käänteitä esikoisen syntymän kynnyksellä: "En tiedä, milloin olisi ollut oikea hetki tulla isäksi - ehkä se on juuri nyt"". Seura.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  7. "CV". www.aaltola2024.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  8. Toimitus (2021-05-18). "Sinikka Aaltola: "Jonkun elämä voi mennä niin, ettei siinä ole yhtään valoa"". Petäjävesi-lehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  9. Nyberg, Dan (14 September 2021). "Meet Our Professors: Mika Aaltola". Tallinn University.
  10. Saarikoski, Jyrki (10 April 2019). "Kun poutasää on ohi ja suttuinen maailma läikkyy ylitse – Mika Aaltola opastaa Suomea rosoisen ajan ulkopolitiikkaan". Yle.
  11. "Inhorealismi kannattelee Suomen ulkopolitiikkaa poutasään jälkeen – "Meillä ei keskitytä siihen, mitä täällä tapahtuu"". MTV3. 10 April 2014.
  12. Tiilikainen, Teppo (10 May 2019). "Inhorealismin aika". Suomen Kuvalehti.
  13. Suomen Tietotoimisto (11 September 2019). "Upin uusi johtaja on Mika Aaltola – valinta ratkesi vasta tiukan äänestyksen jälkeen". Yle.
  14. Punkari, Pasi (5 September 2022). "Tampereen yliopiston vuoden alumni on ulkopoliittisen instituutin johtaja Mika Aaltola". Yle.
  15. Huhtanen, Jarmo (17 October 2022). "Suorasukainen haastattelu sai Mika Aaltolan miettimään vastuutaan". Helsingin Sanomat.
  16. "Havahtuminen - Turvallinen Eurooppa". Kirja-verkkokauppa (in Finnish). 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  17. "Mika Aaltola announces presidential bid". News. 2023-08-04. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  18. "Henkilö | Parhaita timanttijuttuja: Mika Aaltola ei enää käyttäydy kuin tutkija, lähteet ihmettelevät". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2022-11-05. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  19. "Arja Saijonmaa esitti Elämäni Biisissä tribuutin Mikis Theodorákikselle – lue tarina esityksen taustalta". yle.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  20. Raita-aho, Sanna (17 October 2022). "Kirjan julkaissut Mika Aaltola: Ukrainan voitto tarkoittaisi vakaampaa oloa koko lännessä". Aamulehti.
  21. Orjala, Anne (21 October 2022). "Mika Aaltola Ylelle: Jos lähtisin presidentinvaalikisaan, se olisi todennäköisimmin kansanliikkeen kautta – "Kyinen pelto kynnettäväksi"". Yle.
  22. "Mika Aaltola pyrkii presidentiksi: "Ajan Suomen etua, se on tärkeä erottava tekijä muihin ehdokkaisiin" – ei vastannut kritiikkiin panttaamisesta". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  23. Rissanen, Heikki (2023-09-09). ""Haluaisin nähdä hänet ainakin kisassa mukana" – Mika Aaltola kampanjoi Kuopiossa, tältä siellä näytti". Savon Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  24. Honkonen, Juha (2023-09-06). "Näin paljon Mika Aaltola on saanut kannatuskortteja kokoon". Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  25. ""Ylimielisyys paistaa Mika Aaltolasta" – asiantuntija arvioi presidenttiehdokkaiden Tiktok-sisällöt". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2023-08-30. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  26. Kauranen, Anne; Lehto, Essi (3 August 2023). "Lifted by Ukraine war, Finnish academic Mika Aaltola to run for president". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  27. "Perhesiteitä | Mika Aaltolalla oli jatkuvasti kipuja, jotka paljastuivat vuosien kuluttua kasvaimeksi: "Luin netistä, että on 80 prosentin todennäköisyys kuolla leikkauksessa"". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  28. Sairanen, Sara (2022-04-10). "Mika Aaltolan lapsi syntyi – koskettava Twitter-päivitys julki". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  29. "Vakavasta sairaudesta selvinnyt Mika Aaltola, 53, on esikoispojan isä – herää joka päivä aamuviideltä kommentoimaan maailmaa: "Lapsesta on tullut ankkuri elämään"". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 2022-07-24. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  30. "Mika Aaltola: "Totta kai olen kristitty"". Sley (in Finnish). 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
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