Threats, Challenges, and Finnish-Russian Cross-Border Security Cooperation: A Finnish Perspective
Threats, Challenges, and Finnish-Russian Cross-Border Security Cooperation: A Finnish Perspective

Summary/Abstract: Finland’s security is integrally linked with its immediate surroundings,Europe, and global development. Given that Finland considers Russia to be one of the mainchallenges to its security, cross-border security cooperation with it is limited. Over theyears the Finnish border authorities have, nevertheless, developed effective joint workingpractices with their Russian counterparts which provide a unique communication channel,even in the present geopolitical climate. The present paper address the Finnish-Russiasecurity cooperation, and its lack, within a wider European frame and pits the practicalexperiences against ongoing theoretical discussion on security and threat perceptions. Itargues that despite the more multifaceted understandings of borders and the EUropeanisedrhetoric, the Finnish-Russian border is still very much a classic state border guarded bytwo states from their respective perspectives. In the Finnish-Russian case the content ofcooperation has more to do with border management than with more coherent bordersecurity, as the former is build on a more common ground than the latter. Increasedcooperation and Russian convergence with EU models of border security and managementwould certainly be of benefit, but Russia’s willingness to cooperate seems half-hearted.

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