FIIA Newsletter 4/2012
UPI aloittaa helmikuussa 2013 merelliseen turvallisuuteen Jäämerellä ja Itämerellä keskittyvän tutkimusprojektin Maanpuolustuksen tieteellisen neuvottelukunnan rahoituksella. Eilen-arkiston (Suomen ulkopolitiikan verkkoarkiston) kehittämistä jatketaan Koneen säätiön tuella.
In 2013, FIIA will launch a research project on critical maritime infrastructures in the Arctic and Baltic Sea using Scientific Advisory Board for Defence (MATINE) funding. Meanwhile, the Eilen Archive will be developed further using a Kone Foundation grant.
Research projects
The Finnish Scientific Advisory Board for Defence (MATINE) has granted research funding for a FIIA research project, entitled “Towards the Geopolitics of Flows: Critical Maritime Infrastructures in the Arctic Region and the Baltic Sea”. The research project will be carried out between 1.2. and 30.11.2013 in collaboration with the University of Tampere School of Management (International Relations) and will be led by Dr. Mika Aaltola, Director of the Global Security Research Programme at FIIA. The research project will examine the international strategic shift from territorial geopolitics towards geopolitics of the global commons (sea, sky, space and the cyber domain) and the implications of this geopolitical change for Finland. The aim of the project is to increase the Finnish political-strategic understanding of the global strategic shift, with emphasis on marine areas, and analyse the changes in the Finnish maritime security environment.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Song Tao visits FIIA
Dr. Song Tao, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of People’s Republic of China, participated in a highlevel academic seminar at FIIA on 29 October. The Vice Minister gave a talk on EU-China relations
The Kone Foundation grants funding for the Eilen Archive
Kone Foundation has granted 25.000€ for the further development of the Eilen Archive. At the moment, the archive consists of speeches related to Finnish foreign policy and a chronology which details the most significant events in Finnish foreign policy since 1973.
4th German-Nordic-Baltic Forum On 27-28 September
The fourth German-Nordic-Baltic Forum took place at FIIA’s premises in Helsinki. The conference was entitled “EU Responses to external challenges as seen from Germany, Poland, Nordic and the Baltic countries and the EU neighbourhood” and it led to a most fruitful exchange of ideas and opinions among the experts involved with the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The Forum was organised by the Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) in cooperation with FIIA and it was supported by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Staff News
During February and March, Dr. Anaïs Marin will take part in a visiting researcher exchange with the Warsaw-based Center for Eastern Studies (OSW). During her twomonth stay at OSW, Marin will collaborate with researchers from the Russian department as well as her homologue Belarus desk. The Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY) has awarded the prize of Best International Teacher of the Year 2012 to Dr. Bart Gaens. He is a Docent of Japanese Studies at the University of Helsinki and a researcher in FIIA’s Global Security Programme.
The Finnish Journal of Foreign Affairs
The latest issue of the Finnish Journal of Foreign Affairs (Ulkopolitiikkalehti), published in early December, focuses on the nature of money and the future of the current monetary system. In a profile interview, the journal discusses the role of the European Central Bank with Sirkka Hämäläinen, a former member of the executive board. Furthermore, the journal examines cyber warfare and rising anti-Semitism among young French Muslims. Starting with the latest issue, a full electronic version of the journal will be published at www.lehtiluukku.fi.
Publications
All FIIA publications can be downloaded from the Institute’s website. The most recent FIIA publications include: FIIA Reports 33-34 Uhka vai mahdollisuus? Suomi ja Euroopan puolustus- ja turvallisuusmarkkinoiden muutos; Harri Mikkola, Jukka Anteroinen, Ville Lauttamäki. Strengthening the EU’s peace mediation capacities: Leveraging for peace through new ideas and thinking; Tanja Tamminen (ed.). FIIA Briefing Papers 114-119 Säilyykö suojeluvastuu? YK:n turvallisuusneuvoston rooli inhimillisen turvallisuuden puolustajana; Touko Piiparinen .Kiinan meri vai kaikkien meri? Etelä-Kiinan meren sopassa on liikaa mausteita; Jyrki Kallio. Georgian dream or nightmare? Transition of power poses great challenges for Georgia and its foreign relations; Teemu Sinkkonen. Bringing stability to Europe: Why Europe needs a banking union; Erik Jones. Russia’s pressure politics: The Kremlin’s uncompromising approach to opponents threatens political stability; Sean Roberts. Transatlantic cybersecurity: The only winning move is to play with others; Charly Salonius-Pasternak & Jarno Limnéll. FIIA Working Papers Battle lines in the Chinese blogosphere: Keyword control as a tactic in managing mass incidents; Keegan Elmer. Finnish Foreign Policy Paper 2 Finland in the United Nations: Consistent and credible constructivism; Unto Vesa. FIIA Comments Obama headed for victory; Charly Salonius-Pasternak. Estonia strives to be at the core of the EU; Kristi Raik. Haussa ulkopoliittinen identiteetti; Mikael Mattlin, Jyrki Kallio, Charly Salonius-Pasternak, Mikael Wigell, Antto Vihma. Is Catalonia looking for the exit?; Teemu Sinkkonen. The polarized post-2015 development puzzle; Marikki Stocchetti .