Finnish Orientation(s) towards Europe and the West

Abstract

<p> <span>Finland’s accession to NATO in April 2023 has been celebrated as the final confirmation </span><span>of the country’s western orientation, also in identity-political terms. By reviewing the </span><span>Finnish approaches towards European integratory processes since the early 1990s, </span><span>including the field of security, the article argues that rather than as an effort to develop a </span><span>new kind of westernised identity, one should perceive this orientation as an affirmation </span><span>of the traditional Finnish and Nordic, pragmatic and protestant values.</span> <br></p>