The book explores how small states adjust their military strategies in response to external shocks. Using primary sources from four Nordic countries, (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden), this volume explores how small states have adjusted their military strategies in response to external shocks of the 21st century. The 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Russian interventions in Georgia and Ukraine, and the rise of the Islamic State have all forced the Nordic states to adopt new strategies. While the responses have not been uniform, their differing relations to the EU and NATO have not prevented these countries from behaving similarly in military affairs. Limitations in military capacity has led all four countries to pursue strategies that include cooperation with more resourceful partners. It is necessary for them to cooperate with others to protect and promote their national interests. Moreover, the Nordic cosmopolitan outlook expresses milieu-shaping ambitions that we generally would not expect small states to pursue against a potential great power aggressor. This book will be of much interest to students of military strategy, defense studies, security studies, and international relations.

Overskrifter: Starting point for doctrine: The geostrategic position of Finland; Reconstruction of the defence forces in the postwar period; Neutrality policy and the development of total national defence; territorial defence as the basis for doctrine; Conclussions and assessment.

The Armed Conflict Survey 2023 provides an exhaustive review of the political, military and humanitarian dimensions of active armed conflicts globally in the period from 1 May 2022–30 June 2023. The review is complemented by a strategic analysis of regional and global drivers and conflict outlooks, providing unique insights into the geopolitical and geo-economic threads linking conflicts regionally and globally, as well as into emerging flashpoints and political risks to monitor. This edition’s regional-focused approach also includes Regional Spotlight chapters on selected key conflict trends of regional and global importance. Reflecting the growing significance of geopolitical factors in shaping current conflict trends across the world, The Armed Conflict Survey 2023 features the third edition of the IISS Armed Conflict Global Relevance Indicator, which compares the global relevance of armed con□ icts in terms of their geopolitical impact, as well as their human impact and intensity. This edition also includes maps, infographics, key statistics and the accompanying Chart of Armed Con□flict.

This book compares two countries with striking parallels in economic and political outcomes, yet with some distinct features in terms of institutional structures, relative size, and culture. Therefore, this book forms a fruitful platform for the study of the similarities and differences in the economic and societal development of Japan and Finland. Despite their geographic distance from one another and the aforementioned differences, both countries experienced rather similar economic and societal development patterns after the Second World War. The study of these societies both individually and through commonalities will provide a unique perspective on the emergence of modern economies and institutions. The book provides comprehensive coverage on issues such as welfare state formation and society, security and military spending, education system, industrial development, international trade, governmental economic policies, energy solutions, and bubbles and their collapse; thus, issues typical for these countries, as well as most modern states, studied from a longitudinal perspective. The book aims to answer a fundamental question in social science: Why do there seem to be common trends and developmental paths among countries differing in size, culture, and economic structure? This book will provide insights for those seeking to decipher how the developments in their own countries came about and where they may be headed to.

This book is intended for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in social structure and political sociology as well as academic sociologists and libraries. It should have significant appeal to researchers and students in European studies and others interested in European integration.