NATO and Nordic Cooperation - Norden at the Crossroads Again

CENS 20 years anniversary seminar on 31 October 2022 at 17-18.30, Think Corner, University of Helsinki.

CENS started its operations in 2002. The biggest event of the first year was the international conference Norden at the Crossroads, where the position of the Nordic countries in the new post-Cold War world was discussed. Now 20 years later, the theme is still relevant, but the big questions may be new.

To mark its 20th anniversary, CENS is holding a seminar on the Nordic region in transformation, in the light of Finland and Sweden applying to NATO and recent security developments. The seminar is arranged in connection with the annual session of the Nordic Council in Helsinki.

NATO and Nordic Cooperation

Date: 31 October, 17-18.30
Venue: Main Stage, Think Corner (Yliopistonkatu 4) and online, see live stream

The Finnish and Swedish NATO-applications forces us to reconsider many established truths about the Nordic region. What the recent developments mean for Nordic cooperation and its institutions? Should the Nordic Council (1952) and the Nordic Council of Ministers (1971) become more involved in security and defence policy cooperation? Will the intensified security and defence cooperation spill over to other sectors and contribute to a more integrated Nordic region? What does Finnish and Swedish NATO-membership mean for the Nordic peace brand?

With us to discuss a transforming Nordic region are Research director Hanna Ojanen (University of Tampere), Professor Juhana Aunesluoma (University of Helsinki) and Postdoctoral fellow Iro Särkkä (Finnish Institute of Foreign Affairs). The discussion is led by Johan Strang (University of Helsinki).

Program

Welcome and introduction

  • Professor, Research director Peter Stadius, CENS, University of Helsinki

Panel

  • Research director Hanna Ojanen, University of Tampere
  • Professor Juhana Aunesluoma, University of Helsinki
  • Postdoctoral fellow Iro Särkkä, Finnish Institute of Foreign Affairs

Moderator: Associate professor Johan Strang, CENS, University of Helsinki

The event is organized jointly by the NordForsk project Nordic University Hub ReNEW and Academy of Finland project Norden since the End of History (NORDEND), both hosted by CENS.