The Center on US Politics and Power

The Center on US Politics and Power (CUSPP) is the leading research center in the Nordic countries that focuses on US foreign policy. CUSPP provides research and expertise on the US’s evolving global and regional role, as well as the domestic drivers of foreign policy. The Center works in conjunction with the Global Security Research Program at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. The Center’s activities as well as its Visiting Senior Fellow program are supported by a generous grant from the Jane & Aatos Erkko Foundation. 

The core goals of CUSPP:

• Participate in expert, academic and public debate

• Build capacity on US foreign policy studies and strengthen FIIA’s own research on US foreign and domestic politics

• Cooperate and network with US scholars and other research institutions

Principal roles and functions of  CUSPP: 

• Implement a Visiting Professor/Senior Fellow program

• Conduct high-level research and produce topical publications on transatlantic relations and the role played by the US in global politics

• Provide commentary and policy analysis feeding into the public debate

• Organize annually the US Research Day as well as the Helsinki Summer Session

• Arrange seminars in the framework of the CUSPP Research Series on the US Role in Global Politics, as well as timely expert seminars

The research agenda of CUSPP

CUSPP focuses on the US global role and its relation to US domestic dynamics. The US is at a unique geopolitical juncture. Its power in the military realm remains largely unchallenged, but its relative position as a great power is in flux. The country itself is affected by turbulent domestic dynamics, and it faces an increasingly uncertain international environment as well as challenges by potential peer competitors. The forces of globalization challenge the US-centered world order, even if the US retains a prominent role in the international economy and in global technological progress.

A major focus of research conducted at CUSPP is on the relations between the US and a highly connected Nordic region and a gradually opening Arctic. The US has been at the forefront of the global governance architecture, and retains a leading role in military capabilities, economic matters, innovative technology, and knowledge production. At the strategic level, relations with near-peer competitors such as China, and relations between Russia and the US, its NATO partners/allies and the European Union will increasingly influence the future of the transatlantic relationship. Key transatlantic institutions such as NATO will be central to the ability of the US to retain influence in the region.

Networks

The Transatlantic Periscope is a 360° view of the transatlantic relationship that provides users with an in-depth catalog of the most essential news, analysis, and data related to bilateral relationships between the United States and each of the members of the European Union and the United Kingdom. It is an interactive, real-time platform featuring expert curation of content, combining artificial intelligence and collective human intelligence. The Transatlantic Periscope is founded and managed by the Bertelsmann Foundation.

The core of the Transatlantic Periscope is the bilateral relationship pages that offer an at-a-glance view of the state of play and easy access to comprehensive analysis and data. Beyond that, users can explore content relating to a specific topic that reaches well beyond bilateral ties in the Deep Dive section. Finally, if you don’t find what you’re looking for elsewhere, the Search page allows you to browse the universe of content behind the Transatlantic Periscope to find any information you’re looking for.