The Finnish Architect of Peace

HELSINKI — A few blocks from the icy harbor, up a narrow one-way and over a bit of a snow bank, I find 2008's Nobel Laureate for peace, Martti Ahtisaari. A small plaque on an otherwise nondescript building reads: CMI, Crisis Management Initiative.

His assistant is apologetic upon reaching the fourth floor, suggesting they might soon be in search of new offices. The elevator hadn't worked. But there's a level of romanticism, something perfectly fitting, to think of this accomplished, humble man working tirelessly in such modest environs. Functional, warm, and comfortable, yet certainly not elegant or ostentatious — all the things a small, non-governmental organization hopes to afford, but not, however, what one expects on the heels of world's most prestigious prize.

For decades Ahtisaari has toiled in relative obscurity. He was the first president of Finland (1994-2000) elected by the public rather than an electoral college, running what was deemed the nation's first "American style" campaign. He brought Finland into the EU. But his career as a mediator is recognized as having outstripped his work as president.

"I'm not a politician. I'm proud of being a professional in what I do, and I'm a civil servant, whether national or international. I just had a detour into politics for six years," he tells me.

Martti Ahtisaari is in the business of peace, and he treats his work in a most business-like manner. "All of the conflicts I have been involved in mediating, it has been known from the beginning what the outcome is going to be. Namibia, it was independence, South Africans out, elections. Aceh — it was a special autonomy. In Kosovo it was known from very, really extremely early on, in the end of January 2006 ... that Kosovo would have to become independent."

"You have to be candid. I think that's perhaps the best thing you can be. One of the commanders (in Aceh) said, having been interviewed by a Finnish political magazine, 'at least with Ahtisaari we know where we are.' What I think he candidly wanted to say is that I'm always very straightforward, because it doesn't help if you simply want to be nice. You have be polite, but you have to also say difficult things."

When I charge that the U.N. seems rather incapable of dealing with the challenges of the 21st century, the security council ostensibly impotent and gridlocked in moments of crisis, he responds: "I don't think we need to invent the wheels again ...

It is not the structures of the U.N.; it's the lack of political will at the U.N. that matters. And you don't create — by having sort of new structures — the political will if that doesn't exist."

We speak about Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's recent vow to respond to continued rocket attacks from Gaza with disproportionate force.

"The Palestinians must find a common position, but there has been far too much effort to split them. One way or another has to be found that we hear what the Palestinian voice is, and that they realize in the process they have to be able to administer the area in such a manner that's not a threat to Israel."

"First of all, it has to be monitored if you have a cease-fire, and now it's not monitored by reliable, trustworthy parties. It will break; there will always be somebody. And it has to monitored in such that we get accurate information."

"Very quickly you have to have a proper monitoring arrangement on the borders on the sea so that arms are not flowing in; then you have to simultaneously start a negotiating process. But what I'm saying is the plans are there. What is happening now diminishes the security of Israel seriously and I think it is extremely short-sighted if we don't, as friends of Israel and hopefully as friends of Palestine, if we don't advise both parties that their security is not becoming any better by behaving this way."

It would be hard to describe Ahtisaari as eager — his speech is almost an invariable calm, each sentence seeming to be more sage than the last. When speaking about the Palestinian-Israeli crisis he declines to profess interest in getting involved, instead voicing support for Tony Blair's work.

But he clearly doesn't recognize the peace prize as a conclusion to his work. "I have worked with extremely good people. If I would have a new assignment, if I would go, I would get my team here in a few days. I know they would come. I don't need to make too many phone calls.

"When we talk about how to solve these problems, it is not that there is nobody who knows; it's that we have to start listening to those who know," Ahtisaari tells me as we part. It's a comforting notion, but one coming from a man who also insists "every conflict can be solved."

Chuckle you might; that man, though, that architect, has yet to fail when commissioned to build a durable peace.

Brian Till, one of the nation's youngest syndicated columnists, is a research fellow for the New America Foundation, a think tank in Washington. He can be contacted at till@newamerica.net. To find out more about the author and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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