The FIIA Board has appointed Mika Aaltola as the director of FIIA for the next five-year term. MP Mikko Savola will chair FIIA Advisory Council. Research project on strategic deterrence concludes with the release of the final report.
Director appointment
The Board of FIIA has appointed Dr Mika Aaltola as the director of the Institute for the next five-year term (2020 – 2024). The director is responsible for the management, development and performance of the Institute. The Board of the Institute was very pleased with the quality of the interviewed applicants.
Mika Aaltola has worked as the programme director of the Global Security research programme at FIIA since 2011. His areas of expertise are US foreign and domestic policies as well as the international system and major-power relations.
Aaltola will start in his new position on 7 October as Director Teija Tiilikainen has already been appointed the director of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.
Programme Director appointment
Juha Jokela will continue as programme director in FIIA’s European Union research programme with an appointed to the next 5-year term (2020 – 2024). The principal responsibility of the programme director is to lead the research programme and take part in the planning of FIIA’s research activities. Programme directors also have their individual research agendas.
Jokela’s current research interests include political implications of Brexit and differentiated integration in EU’s foreign and security policy.
Savola to chair Advisory Council
FIIA Advisory Council, appointed by the Chancellery Commission of the Parliament, convened in its current composition for the first time on 19 September. The Council selected MP Mikko Savola to chair and MP Saara-Sofia Sirén to vice-chair the body.
The Council’s duties include monitoring the Institute’s operations and liaising with relevant FIIA stakeholders. The Council serves a four-year term of office, which commenced in June 2019.
A Russia of Power report
Several FIIA researchers contibuted to the report A Russia of Power which focuses on three main themes: Russian foreign policy, military defence and defence industry, and the country’s internal development. Over 40 experts from universities, research institutes and various authorities participated in the work.
The report was commissioned by the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of the Interior and Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Defence coordinated its preparation.
Strategic deterrence project
FIIA Report Strategic Deterrence Redux by Visiting Senior Fellow Leo Michel and Research Fellow Matti Pesu takes stock of recent developments in deterrence in general, and nuclear deterrence in particular. Its main ambition is to understand how deterrence has changed in light of certain post-Cold War trends. Importantly, the report analyses the implications of the recent trends in strategic deterrence for Northern Europe.
The report concludes FIIA’s research project ‘New Challenges for Strategic Deterrence in the 21st Century’. Senior Research Fellow Katja Creutz, Robert G. Bell, Tom Plant and Bruno Tertrais also contributed to the project which was part of the implementation of the Government Plan for Analysis, Assessment and Research.
Staff News
Ambassador Deborah A. McCarthy has joined FIIA’s Center on US Politics and Power as Visiting Senior Fellow on 16 August until 16 November. McCarthy is an expert on U.S. foreign and national security policy with over 30 years of diplomatic experience. Currently, she is a consultant with the Transnational Security Group and the producer of the national security podcast “The General and the Ambassador”. She served as the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania from 2013 to 2016.
In October, Paula Kivimaa will join FIIA for two months. Her Academy of Finland funded research project is entitled “Interplay between National Defence and Low-Carbon Energy Policies: a Sustainability Transitions Perspective”.
Finnish Journal of Foreign Affairs
This year’s third issue of Ulkopolitiikka, the Finnish Journal of Foreign Affairs, focuses on international sanctions and whether they truly have an effect in international affairs. Russia has not exited Crimea despite sanctions imposed by the West. However, sanctions send a strong message, as many of the senders also suffer economically.
Ulkopolitiikka investigated the ways in which China spies online. The US believes China uses technology companies such as Huawei as part of its sophisticated capabilities but not all countries share this view.
For European defence at large, there is no Franco-German vision, writes Barbara Kunz in her essay on European defence. Allies may have to choose between Paris or Berlin in the worst case scenario.
The Journal has also launched a podcast focusing on the Finnish EU Presidency. Ulkopolitiikka is available as a printed journal and online at www.ulkopolitiikka.fi.
Recent publications
All FIIA publications are available on the Institute’s website.
Books
Gaudeamus 2019
Turkin historia
Toni Alaranta
FIIA Reports
Suomen huoltovarmuus ja Baltian alue: Tiivistyvät yhteydet muuttuvassa turvallisuusympäristössä
Emma Hakala, Harri Mikkola, Juha Käpylä, Matti Pesu & Mika Aaltola
Strategic deterrence redux: Nuclear weapons and European security
Leo Michel & Matti Pesu
FIIA Briefing Papers
Sanctions and US foreign policy in the Trump era: A perfect storm
Ville Sinkkonen
Finland’s 2019 presidency of the Council of the European Union: European and domestic determinants
Tuomas Iso-Markku & Juha Jokela
FIIA Working Papers
Democratic deterrence: How to dissuade hybrid interference
Mikael Wigell
The end of nuclear arms control? Implications for the Nordic region
Tapio Juntunen
FIIA Comments
Regional elections in Russia: The Kremlin is tackling previous challenges while facing new ones
Jussi Lassila
Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s first 100 days in power: Russia remains the primary challenge for Ukraine’s new president
Arkady Moshes
Transatlantic intelligence ties remain strong: Insulated against political turmoil
Christopher Kojm
FIIA Comments are also available in Finnish. Subscribe to the FIIA Newsletter and/or publication notifications www.fiia.fi/en/introduction/join