CUSPP Research Series: ”Meeting the Ally: Finland’s Foreign and Security Policy in Transformation during the Post-Cold War Period”

The geopolitical changes in the post-Cold War European security climate have enabled Finland’s repositioning of its geopolitical space and the redefinition of its national identity vis-à-vis other European states. This change has led Finland to re-examine and to rebuild its relationship with a number of international institutions and actors, such as NATO. In this lecture, Dr Särkkä will examine Finland’s relationship with NATO and the Unites States, serving as a prime example of Finland’s post-Cold War identity formation. Secondly, she will intend to show how a politically polarizing policy issue, such as Finland’s relationship with NATO, manifests itself in terms of foreign and security policy on the policy rhetoric level.

Lecturer: Dr Iro Särkkä defended her doctoral thesis “Rhetoric of NATO in the Finnish Security Policy Debate” (University of Helsinki) in autumn 2019. She has previously worked as a researcher and policy adviser at the Finnish Defence Forces and now continues her passion for foreign policy analysis as an independent researcher and lecturer.

The seminar is open to all interested in US politics and transatlantic relations. CUSPP Research Series is organized monthly at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. Students are most welcome to join and meet with scholars involved in a relaxed and informal setting. Coffee will be served at the seminar.

Please note that you can earn credits by participating in our series! You can ask more from your university.

For more information about the seminar series, please visit: https://fiia.fi/en/program/the-center-onus-politics-and-power/research-series-on-the-us-role-in-global-politics, or contact Marie-Louise Hindsberg, marie-louise.hindsberg@fiia.fi