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A Gradual Path from Strategic Restraint to a Middle Power: The Transformation of Finnish International Identity from EU Accession to NATO Membership

Rahiala, Assi LU (2026) SIMZ11 20261
Master of Science in Global Studies
Abstract
This thesis examines the transformation of Finnish international identity between Finland’s accession to the EU in 1995 and its membership in NATO in 2023. The study is significant as Finland’s NATO accession has frequently been portrayed as a sudden and unprecedented rupture in Finnish foreign and security policy following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Challenging this interpretation, the thesis argues that the NATO membership should instead be understood as the culmination of a longer historical trajectory characterized by gradual Western integration, evolving security practices, and the continuous rearticulation of Finnish international identity. Within this process, Finland increasingly repositioned itself from a... (More)
This thesis examines the transformation of Finnish international identity between Finland’s accession to the EU in 1995 and its membership in NATO in 2023. The study is significant as Finland’s NATO accession has frequently been portrayed as a sudden and unprecedented rupture in Finnish foreign and security policy following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Challenging this interpretation, the thesis argues that the NATO membership should instead be understood as the culmination of a longer historical trajectory characterized by gradual Western integration, evolving security practices, and the continuous rearticulation of Finnish international identity. Within this process, Finland increasingly repositioned itself from a militarily non-aligned small state toward a Western-oriented middle power embedded within Euro-Atlantic political and security structures. Guided by the research question, “How and to what extent has Finland’s international identity been redefined between EU accession in 1995 and NATO membership in 2023?” The study draws on constructivism, Europeanization, small-state theory, social power, and place branding. It employs a qualitative, historically informed single-case study design combining document analysis with semi-structured expert interviews analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings suggest that Finland’s NATO accession reflected a long-term process of Western reorientation, with the 2022 invasion of Ukraine acting as a critical accelerator of an already evolving trajectory. (Less)
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author
Rahiala, Assi LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMZ11 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Small State, Europeanization, International Identity, Gradual Change, Pragmatic Continuity
language
English
id
9235390
date added to LUP
2026-06-25 09:35:52
date last changed
2026-06-25 09:35:52
@misc{9235390,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines the transformation of Finnish international identity between Finland’s accession to the EU in 1995 and its membership in NATO in 2023. The study is significant as Finland’s NATO accession has frequently been portrayed as a sudden and unprecedented rupture in Finnish foreign and security policy following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Challenging this interpretation, the thesis argues that the NATO membership should instead be understood as the culmination of a longer historical trajectory characterized by gradual Western integration, evolving security practices, and the continuous rearticulation of Finnish international identity. Within this process, Finland increasingly repositioned itself from a militarily non-aligned small state toward a Western-oriented middle power embedded within Euro-Atlantic political and security structures. Guided by the research question, “How and to what extent has Finland’s international identity been redefined between EU accession in 1995 and NATO membership in 2023?” The study draws on constructivism, Europeanization, small-state theory, social power, and place branding. It employs a qualitative, historically informed single-case study design combining document analysis with semi-structured expert interviews analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings suggest that Finland’s NATO accession reflected a long-term process of Western reorientation, with the 2022 invasion of Ukraine acting as a critical accelerator of an already evolving trajectory.}},
  author       = {{Rahiala, Assi}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{A Gradual Path from Strategic Restraint to a Middle Power: The Transformation of Finnish International Identity from EU Accession to NATO Membership}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}