FIIA Newsletter 4/2018 | FIIA – Finnish Institute of International Affairs

FIIA will publish a report on the post-Soviet space early next year. FIIA also invites applications from senior scholars to conduct research on U.S. role in global political and economic affairs.

Project on post-Soviet space

FIIA project “What has remained of the Soviet Union?” aims to take stock of the process of erosion of the post-Soviet space, to analyse the remaining material and other structural legacy of the USSR still present and to assess the potential for re-integration of the region around Russia.

The project is co-funded by Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The authors’ collective includes leading European and Russian experts in the field. The publication of the FIIA report is expected early next year.

Call for applications

FIIA is seeking an outstanding senior scholar to conduct research on strategic and critical issues related to the role of the U.S. in global political and economic affairs. The Visiting Professor or Senior Fellow will be appointed for a period of up to one year, beginning 1 February 2019. The duration of the appointment and the exact starting date are negotiable.

Deadline for applications has been extended until Friday 18 January 2019. Applications must be submitted by 23.59 pm Finnish time. Applicants must have a doctorate, an excellent publication record, and a demonstrated research capacity. Further information on the FIIA website.

Academic articles in 2018

FIIA researchers have published over twenty peer-reviewed academic articles in journals and scholarly books in 2018.

The journals included Russian Politics, Geopolitics, Terrorism and Political Violence, Europe-Asia Studies, Journal for Deradicalization, Comparative Strategy and The International Spectator. The book chapters appeared in volumes published by e.g. Routledge, Taylor & Francis, Springer and Palgrave Macmillan.

Staff News

Research Fellow Veera Laine has been granted a Fulbright scholarship for a six-month visit to Columbia University, N.Y., starting in January.

Project Director Bart Gaens is visiting Osaka University as a Specially Appointed Associate Professor until early January.

Finnish Journal of Foreign Affairs

This year’s fourth issue of the Finnish Journal of Foreign Affairs, Ulkopolitiikka, focuses on the future of warfare. The Journal opens with the profile interview of general Jarmo Lindberg, the Commander of the Finnish defence forces, who predicts that military tensions are here to stay in Europe. The Journal also analyses military threats from Finnish perspective and raises questions on the development of autonomous weapons.

In addition, the Journal visits the principality of Liechtenstein. Besides providing banking services to the wealthy, Liechtenstein might offer a model for post-Brexit Britain. The principality has both a membership in the European Economic Area (EEA) and a customs union with Switzerland.

The Journal’s reportage from Iraqi Kurdistan shows that despite current sectarian violence, living together as one nation may still be the best option for the people of Iraq.
Ulkopolitiikka is available both as a printed journal and as an online version at www.ulkopolitiikka.fi.