Finnish Arctic Policy - An analysis of the whys and wherefores behind the Finnish foreign policy goal of strengthening the EU's role in the Arctic
Author
Tahvanainen, Henni Maria Kristiina
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-05-30
Pages
67
Abstract
This thesis examines why Finland sought to strengthen the European Union’s role in the Arctic during 2013–2017 and what motivated this foreign policy priority. The analysis is situated in the changing context after Russia’s 2014 intervention in Ukraine, which influenced Arctic cooperation and shifted Finland’s framing of the EU from mainly an environmental and business facilitator to a partner in maintaining stability in a region where the Arctic Council traditionally excludes military issues. The study is an interpretative case study that analyzes government reports and Arctic strategies using Carlsnaes’s tripartite approach to foreign policy (intentional, dispositional, and structural dimensions) to test the explanatory power of neoliberalism and neorealism. Findings largely support a neorealist reading: after 2014, Finnish policymakers no longer view security as achievable solely through deeper interdependence and Arctic cooperation, and see value in a stronger EU presence for stability. At the same time, the EU’s desired roles as regulator and promoter of economic growth remain important. The thesis contributes by placing Finland’s Arctic policy in a broader theoretical context and showing how situational factors—above all Russia’s behavior—shape Finland’s goals.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvorfor Finland i perioden 2013–2017 ønskede at styrke EU’s rolle i Arktis, og hvad der motiverede denne udenrigspolitiske prioritering. Udgangspunktet er de ændrede rammevilkår efter Ruslands intervention i Ukraine i 2014, som påvirkede den arktiske diskurs og flyttede fokus fra primært miljø og erhverv til også at omfatte stabilitet og sikkerhed i en region, hvor Arktisk Råd traditionelt ikke behandler militære spørgsmål. Studiet er et fortolkende casestudie, der analyserer regeringsrapporter og arktiske strategier med Carlsnæs’ tredelte tilgang til udenrigspolitik (intentionelle, dispositionelle og strukturelle dimensioner) for at teste forklaringskraften i neoliberalisme og neorealisme. Resultaterne peger overvejende på en neorealistisk forklaring: efter 2014 vurderer finske beslutningstagere, at sikkerhed ikke kan opnås alene gennem øget gensidig afhængighed og arktisk samarbejde, og at en stærkere EU-tilstedeværelse også tjener et stabiliserende formål. Samtidig fastholdes EU’s roller som regulator og drivkraft for økonomisk udvikling som væsentlige. Afhandlingen bidrager ved at sætte Finlands arktiske politik ind i en bredere teoretisk ramme og belyse, hvordan situative faktorer – især Ruslands adfærd – former de finske mål.
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