Programme for the first Helsinki Security Forum published. FIIA launches new research programme focusing on Finland’s foreign policy and security in Northern Europe.
Programme for the first Helsinki Security Forum published – Follow the livestreamed discussions
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) organises the first Helsinki Security Forum (HSF) on 30 September – 2 October 2022, bringing together decision-makers and experts of international security policy. The event is organised in Helsinki as an invitation-based event. The event will include both closed discussions among participants as well as panels livestreamed to a broader online audience.
The theme of HSF 2022 is Northern European Security Redone and speakers include President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö, Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto, Minister of Defence of Finland Antti Kaikkonen, Pavlo Klimkin, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Secretary General of the OSCE Helga Schmid, EU Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen, and experts such as Michael Kofman and Constanze Stelzenmüller.
Please see the full programme here. Online registration to follow the livestream is available here.
You can follow the updates and ongoing conversation on HSF on social media at Twitter #HelSecFor, on FIIA’s Twitter, and on the official Helsinki Security Forum website.
Past events
See recording of the seminar Finland and Sweden in NATO – Nordic Perspectives
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) organised the seminar Finland and Sweden in NATO – Nordic Perspectives on Wednesday 17 August 2022. Speakers in the seminar were Kristian Fischer, Director (DIIS), Iro Särkkä (University of Helsinki) and Eva Hagström-Frisell, Deputy Research Director (FOI). The seminar was moderated by Matti Pesu, Leading Researcher (FIIA). The recording of the event (in English) is available on FIIA’s YouTube channel.
FIIA launches new research programme focusing on Finland’s foreign policy and security in Northern Europe
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) launches a new research programme titled Finnish Foreign Policy, Northern European Security and NATO at the beginning of October. The programme will conduct research on Finland’s foreign, security and defence policy, the security environment in Northern Europe as well as well as analyse the activities of NATO.
The programme will monitor various aspects of Finland’s foreign, security and defence policy, such as Finland’s relations with major powers, its international military cooperation and the country’s activities in international organisations.
Led by Harri Mikkola, the research team for the programme consists of Leading Researcher Matti Pesu, Leading Researcher Sinikukka Saari, Postdoctoral Fellow Iro Särkkä and Research Fellow Jyri Lavikainen.
Staff News
Mikael Mattlin has joined FIIA as Research Professor for the term 1 August 2022–31 December 2025. Dr Mattlin will reinforce FIIA’s China expertise and will be leading the new China research centre, to be launched at the start of 2023. His research expertise includes China’s political system and foreign policies, economic statecraft, Taiwan’s political system and Cross-Strait relations, as well as negotiation simulations in international relations.
Rachel Tausendfreund has started at the institute as a visiting senior research fellow at the Center on US Politics and Power for the autumn of 2022.
Minna Ålander has joined the institute as a research fellow, reinforcing FIIA’s expertise in the European Union research programme. Ålander’s areas of expertise include Nordic security and German foreign and security policy.
Recent publications
All FIIA publications are available on the FIIA website. Here you can find some of the latest publications.
Russiaʼs regional elections 2022: The elephant in the room by Jussi Lassila
Nordic resilience: Strengthening cooperation on security of supply and crisis preparedness by Mikael Wigell, Mariette Hägglund, Christian Fjäder, Emma Hakala, Johanna Ketola and Harri Mikkola
Re-securitizing climate: From ‘climate security’ to ‘ecology of peace’? by Emma Hakala and Vadim Kononenko
The EU’s strategic multilateralism: Global engagement in an era of great-power competition by Niklas Helwig
The war in Ukraine and Europe’s external policy: Acknowledging failures is a prerequisite for moving forward by Arkady Moshes
New book by Mikael Wigell and Gabriele Iacovino
Innovative Technologies and Renewed Policies for Achieving a Greener Defence by Gabriele Iacovino and Mikael Wigell
FIIA has participated in a research project on ‘green defence’ funded by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme. As part of the project, FIIA Research Director Mikael Wigell co-edited a book that has now been published in the Springer Series on Environmental Security. The book analyses the effects of climate change on the strategy and operational conduct of Armed Forces, while also providing new policy recommendations and innovative technological solutions aimed at reducing their environmental footprint and improve energy efficiency. FIIA Senior Researech Fellow Emma Hakala also contributed to the book with a chapter on how climate change is integrated into the Finnish model of comprehensive security.
The latest issues of the Finnish Journal of Foreign Affairs (in Finnish)
Ulkopolitiikka 3/2022
The latest issue of the Finnish Journal of Foreign Affairs (3/2022) explores questions of morality in light of recent geopolitical upheavals. Russia’s war of conquest in Ukraine is a reflection of unresolved issues with the country’s imperialist past. National reckoning with historical trauma can take many forms, from truth commissions to war crime tribunals. Russia, too, must face its past in order to move forward.
Other topics covered in this issue include trade relations with authoritarian states, Finland’s lack of Arctic infrastructure, Iran’s innovative arms race and the Brics bloc’s dedollarisation drive.
You can access the journal at www.ulkopolitiikka.fi (in Finnish).
For more information on FIIA activities, you can subscribe to our publication notifications and event invitations here.
You can also follow us in Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube and Instagram.