Nordic nonalignment/neutrality policies in the 1990s: implications for U.S. security

Abstract

Given that the Cold War has ended, the utility and future form of Finnish and Swedish nonalignmentneutrality policies is open to debate. Nonalignment may continue to be a practical impediment to these countries' involvement in Pan-European political, economic, and security organizations such as the European Community and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. The proximity of Sweden and Finland to the Soviet Union, and in particular to the strategic assets on the Kola Peninsula also will be a factor in future Nordic security decisions. If Sweden and Finland remain outside the collective European framework, the United States will have to recognize the distinct nature of Nordic policy and negotiate bilaterally to ensure continued access to its interests in the High North. This thesis examines the foreign policy challenges facing the Scandinavian neutrals in the 1990s. To that end, four sub-topics are analyzed: the development of neutrality in international law and its impact on modern foreign policy; historical inputs in Swedish and Finnish national interest; regional interests which affect policy decision- making; and, Swedish/Finnish interests in the evolving European order. The concluding sections provide an appraisal of U.S. strategic interests in the region determined from the outlook for neutrality policies in Sweden and Finland.