Past projects
On 10 November 2021 (UaVP 61/2021), the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Finland commissioned the Finnish Institute of International Affairs to conduct an independent study on Finland’s participation in crisis management, stabilisation, reconstruction, development cooperation, and in humanitarian support functions in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021. An independent study by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs will clarify the overall picture of Finland’s multidisciplinary activities in support of Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021. To assess Finland’s operations, the...
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) is working on a collaborative geoeconomic risk map to support public and private risk management and enhance strategic-level public-private dialogues in a fundamentally changing business world.FIIA is implementing this project between September 2021 and November 2022 within the framework of the European Commission's Technical Support Instrument (TSI). The support has been requested by the Austrian Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs to improve the Ministry's capabilities to identify and assess transnational geoeconomic risks and enhance...
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) was awarded a contract to conduct a baseline-study to enhance Nordic cooperation on security of supply and crisis preparedness by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The project goes under the title “Managing Competitive Interdependence in Northern Europe: Nordic Security of Supply in the Age of Disruption (NOSAD)” and is being led by FIIA’s Research Director, Dr. Mikael Wigell.NOSAD examines security of supply and crisis preparedness models in Nordic countries and reviews the existing and future potential of Nordic cooperation within the...
VTT Technical Research Center of Finland Ltd. (VTT), the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) and Aleksanteri institute (AI) are conducting a joint research project “Russia’s technological policy and knowhow in a competitive global context”. This one-year project is part of the Finnish Government’s analysis, assessment and research activities (VN-TEAS) for 2021 and will be carried out between March 2021 and February 2022.The global technological competition is increasingly intertwined with the growing great power competition. Therefore, it is important to also understand its...
The project investigates the consequences of Europe’s push for strategic autonomy for the EU as an international actor and for its relationships with other powers in the international order. Strategic autonomy is here defined as the ability to make foreign and security policy decisions and to carry them through in cooperation with third parties, or if need be alone.The project starts from the observation that the EU’s strategic autonomy is largely dependent on its resilience in the global geo-economic competition. China and the US are increasingly using economic instruments to realize their...
The project on Finnish foreign and security policy is a strategic excellence initiative that solidifies one key area of FIIA’s research mission. The initiative is supervised by the Director. The project produces strategic level research on Finnish foreign and security policy; it explores geostrategic positioning of Finland and provides both public debate and policy makers with perspectives and assessments of Finnish foreign and security policy and related policy options.
The project deals with the national and international political implications of the pandemic crisis, especially in Finland and at the level of the European Union (EU). We analyse the preparedness for pandemics, the responses to the Covid-19 crisis, and the broad political repercussions of the pandemic to date.We divide the coronavirus crisis into three stages: the preparedness phase prior to the emergence of the crisis, the crisis phase itself and, to the extent possible, the lessons learned phase. Based on this division, the main research questions are: How were pandemics discussed and framed in...
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) leads a work package on EU foreign, security and defence policy in the EU IDEA research project, which studies differentiated integration in the European Union. 15 research institutes and universities participate in EU IDEA, coordinated by the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) in Rome. The objective of the project is to find out how much and what type of differentiation supports an effective, cohesive and democratic EU. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant...
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), the Aleksanteri Institute (AI) and the National Defence University (NDU) are jointly conducting a research project titled “Northern Europe in Russia’s Foreign and Security Policy”. The project is part of the Finnish Government’s 2020 analysis, assessment and research activities (VN-TEAS) and will conclude in April 2022.During the last few years, the security environment of Finland’s surrounding neighbourhood has been a subject of increasing political and scholarly interest. Competent research has also been conducted on Russian...
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Security Analysis Oy and Tyrsky Consulting are jointly conducting a research project titled “Finland and Climate Security in an Interdependent World”. The project is part of the Finnish Government’s 2020 analysis, assessment and research activities (VN-TEAS) and will conclude in August 2021.Climate change threatens the stability and security of society in many ways, and its effects will only intensify in the coming decades. Both the changing climate, and strong mitigation efforts create new...
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. (VTT) and ETLA Economic Research (Etla) jointly conducted a research project “Europe Facing Great-Power Competition: Mapping Finland’s Risks and Options in the Geoeconomic Rivalry”. The Project was part of the Finnish Government’s analysis, assessment and research activities (VN-TEAS) for 2021 and run until the end of 2021.Global interdependence and the global trade system embodying it have traditionally been seen as sources of peace and stability. However, the currently intensifying great...
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) jointly with the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (Etla) conducted a research project entitled ”Development of EU’s Sanctions Policy: Political and economic implications for Finland”. The Project was part of the Finnish Government’s analysis, assessment and research activities (VN-TEAS) for 2019, and it ran until May 2020.The European Union has increasingly used sanctions (restrictive measures) as a foreign policy tool. Recently, the EU has also imposed tougher – and targeted – economic sanctions against a neighbouring major...
After a decades-long hiatus, issues involving nuclear weapons have returned to the forefront of international security concerns. The Finnish Institute of International Affairs conducted a study of the changing nature of strategic deterrence, especially insofar as it involves the role of nuclear weapons, and the implications for Europe over the coming decade or so. The study examined how deterrence currently operates in major potential conflict regions (with an emphasis on Europe), the changes (e.g., technological, doctrinal, and political) that likely will shape its development over the next...
The research project analyses Finland’s NATO membership process and its nascent NATO policy. Additionally, the project explores the effects of Russia’s 2022 reinvasion of Ukraine on Northern European security. It’s third aim is to follow the development of U.S. Europe policy and the American commitment to European security.The Russian attack on Ukraine marks a historic watershed for Finnish foreign and security. Its decision to apply for NATO membership changes the basis of its national security policy. The project probes the following questions: What is Finland’s coming status in the...
This project investigated the evolution of America’s global engagement. In particular, it examined both the longer-term trends and the more immediate dynamics that affect the global role of the United States.The project’s final report Between change and continuity: Making Sense of America’s Evolving Global Engagement first considered domestic developments as well as strategic debates, to provide a context for understanding the potential changes and continuities in American foreign and security policy during and beyond the unfolding Trump era. The intention was to shed light on the evolution...
FIIA conducted a one-year research project entitled: A Stronger North? – Developing Nordic cooperation on foreign and security policy. The project was part of the implementation of the Finnish Government Plan for Analysis, Assessment and Research activities for 2017. The project examined possibilities for deepening Nordic cooperation in the field of foreign and security policy and it drew conclusions and made policy recommendations for the Finnish government. The project’s findings were published in FIIA Report format and the summary of key findings was delivered to the Prime Minister’s...
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs conducted a research project entitled ”The EU as a Security Community: citizens’ views and values”. Part of the Government’s analysis, assessment and research activities (VN-TEAS), the project ran until December 2018.Over the last years, the European security situation has significantly worsened. Global and regional crises have hit Europe hard, calling for more vigorous EU-level measures. Consequently, the Union’s role in the field of security has grown in significance from the perspective of both member states and citizens. Research...
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs conducted a nine-month research project which focused on the developments of two great power relationships: (1) the relations between China and Russia, and (2) the relations between the United States and Russia. These relationships were analysed both in a larger global framework as well as from regional perspectives in the light of recent international as well as domestic developments. Even though the focus was on the aforementioned relations, the project also aimed at drawing conclusions for the European Union and Finland. The project was part of the...
FIIA conducted a research project entitled ‘Finland and the Tightening Competition in Global Politics’. The project was part of the implementation of the Government Plan for Analysis, Assessment and Research activities and lasted until December 2018. The project analyses critical global and regional trends that may affect Finland’s international position in the near future.The research project was divided into three thematical but still interlinked sections: a) global political setting b) regional political setting (incl. the EU and Russia) c) Finland and its close neighborhood.Every...
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs was conducting a research project entitled “The external dimensions of counter-terrorism”. The project was part of the implementation of the Government Plan for Analysis, Assessment and Research activities (VN-TEAS) and ended in the beginning of 2020.The fight against terrorism has been one of the key priorities of the EU’s foreign and security policy since the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the 2003 Security Strategy. Common strategies on counter-terrorism and on the cooperation between security authorities have shaped the practices and concepts...
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) is conducting a research project titled “Multilateral cooperation in an era of strategic competition: Options for influence for Finland and the European Union”. The project is a part of the Finnish Government’s 2022 analysis, assessment, and research activities (VN-TEAS) and will conclude in February 2023.Multilateral cooperation is one of the key organizing principles of international relations in general and conduct of foreign policy in particular. Despite significant advancements, development of multilateral cooperation has not been...
