ABSTRACT
Finland’s foreign policy has often been characterised as an effort to reconcile engagement in the Western community with geopolitical needs. This conception is firmly based on the Cold War set-up whereby Finland had to adjust its role and participation in Western cooperation to the demands of its relationship with the Soviet Union. The Finnish small-state identity forms a starting point for its external policies. This identity is based upon two important historical conceptions: a solid state-centric political tradition, and the idea of Finland as a borderland. The early history of Finland engendered a state-centric tradition in Finnish political culture. Nationalism and the wars with the Soviet Union in 1939 to 1940 and 1941 to 1944 reinforced this tradition. Finland’s small-state identity thus was emphasised through the particular demands and constraints placed on its foreign policy during the Cold War era. Finland’s policy has been described as one of reserve characterised by a tendency to adjust to prevailing conditions.
