ZEI Discussion Paper C 279/2023
A geopolitical gem. How Greenland can be a test case for a more ambitious EU - Koen Verhelst
With the EU finally opening a diplomatic office in Greenland, it takes steps to put its Arctic Strategy into practice. The island country will be a 21st century player in northpole logistics, clean energy and raw materials. Russia and China have made no secret of their interest in the region and former US President Donald Trump even suggested his country should buy Greenland. In this geopolitical maelstrom, how can the EU further its aim of becoming a geopolitical player? The bloc will need to navigate a set of broad international challenges while keeping member states in mind on a rather narrow path to its own 'Arcticness'. This paper tries to sketch out the way Greenland's aims partially overlap with Brussels' and how China and Russia will be eyeing any mistakes the EU makes.
ZEI Discussion Paper C 280/2023
Keep calm and join NATO. Finland’s and Sweden’s road to the military-political alliance - Matti Wiberg
How did Finland (and Sweden) join NATO? The purpose of this paper is to provide a general account of the process which produced the Finnish membership in NATO. The paper starts with a general inventory of some essential background and context. Then the development of public opinion in Finland and Sweden is described. Then the non-existent NATO-debate is touched upon. After this the exact chronology of events is listed and the timeline of the process is summarized. After this the NATO timeline of Finnish membership ratification is presented. Then a few words on how Finland and Sweden, hand in hand, made the process together. The paper ends with a few points on what kind of member will Finland be.