Finnish Orientation(s) towards Europe and the West

Abstract

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