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Explaining why Finland joined NATO from the perspective of “Balance of Threat” theory
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Roya Fathi Khanghah   |
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Abstract: (1027 Views) |
The year 2022 has been a turbulent year for European security. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 was a large-scale war with a lots of fear and horror. The west has responded forcefully to the Russian invasion by supporting economically, providing the resources and weapons it needs, removing Russia from important parts of the international economy. This attack was a big shock for Finland and forced it to reconsider the foundations of Finnish foreign and security policy. Less than three month after the outbreak of the war, on 17 May, President of Finland officially decided that Finland would apply for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership. This decision was considered an important turn in Finland's defence and security policy.The purpose of this research is to examine the factors affecting the change in Finland's defence and security policy and its decision to join NATO. The main question of this research is what factors caused Finland to join NATO? The answer to this question can be explained and justified in the framework of Stephen Walt's "balance of threat" theory variables (aggregate power, geographic proximity, offensive power and aggressive intentions).The decision for Finlands’ Nato membership was essentially the result of two factors: a greatly increased perception of Russia as a military threat and a dramatic shift in public opinion in favour of joining NATO. The research method is descriptive-analytical and library sources and internal and external databases have been used to collect information.
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| Keywords: Finland, Russia, NATO, neutrality, non-alignment, balance of threat |
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Full-Text [PDF 662 kb]
(448 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2023/06/30 | Published: 2023/01/30
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