#217 Janne Riihelainen on the EU Influence Operations Course

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Mar 11, 2025

Janne Riihelainen, a communications expert and non-fiction writer, dives deep into the EU's Influence Operations Course aimed at boosting cybersecurity knowledge. He shares insights on the shifting local attitudes towards NATO in Finland post-Russian invasion and the challenges of the porous Finland-Russia border. Riihelainen highlights the significance of empowering citizens with tools to combat misinformation while navigating the complex geopolitical landscape, stressing the need for open dialogue amid rising tensions in Europe.

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INSIGHT

Foggy Strategic Landscape

The current strategic landscape is foggy and uncertain due to many global events.
These events include the Munich Security Conference, US-Europe relations, the war in Ukraine, climate change, and AI.

ANECDOTE

Life on the Finnish-Russian Border

Janne Riihelainen has lived near the Finnish-Russian border for most of his life, witnessing changes like finding Russian Bibles smuggled across.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Finnish opinions shifted towards joining NATO, altering the border dynamic and impacting tourism.

INSIGHT

Porosity of the Finnish-Russian Border

The Finnish-Russian border, a "green border," is relatively porous in remote areas with few roads.
Russia historically maintained stricter border control with minefields, while Finland employs technological surveillance.

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The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

During this episode, Janne Riihelainen discusses the Information Operations Course funded by the European Union, which aims to enhance security by educating individuals on their role in providing security. Janne also expressed concern regarding the current cultural and political climate and risks related to uncertainty.

Recording Date: 17 Feb 2025

Research Question: Janne Riihelainen suggests an interested student or researcher study ways to identify good communication signals from the noisy information environment–especially as it relates to dialogue between the United States and the European Union.

Resources:

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: Janne Riihelainen is a non-fiction writer, communications expert and security policy columnist who has become known for his down-to-earth and accessible approach to writing about security policy. He is also one of the leading experts on information influence, training various actors to understand the current state of the information environment for their own operations. His book about security policy came out in 2017.

Janne’s stories have been published in numerous civil and military papers. I am interviewed regularly in Finnish media and have also been interviewed by Politico, CNN, NPR and Foreign Policy.

Jannes is an active and prominent debater on foreign and security policy in social media. I have a rare combination of competence and prestige with freedom of saying out loud things. I am not tied to any political party or other organization.

He is a partner in an ad agency and involved in commercial communication. He lives in Joensuu, small town in eastern Finland. The border of Russia is about 50 miles away.

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

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