Trapped between asymmetries: Finland’s security strategies in the past, present and future

Neighboring Russia, Finland’s security outlook has always been conscious of the “wrath” of geography. This chapter lays out how power asymmetries have affected Finland’s strategies for navigating evolving international power constellations from the start of independence to the post-February 2022 world marked by a global power shift and great power competition. We also consider what coping strategies Finland is currently utilizing to deal with its most important asymmetric relationships in the context of the emerging strategic landscape in Europe—especially with respect to Russia, the proximate great power, and the United States, Finland’s new security guarantor.