Finland's Treaties on Security Policy
| Author | Osmo Apunen |
| Date | 01 November 1980 |
| Published date | 01 November 1980 |
| DOI | 10.1177/001083678001500405 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Finland’s
Treaties
on
Security
Policy
OSMO APUNEN
Department
of
Political
Science,
University
of
Tampere
Apunen,
O.
Finland’s
Treaties
on
Security
Policy.
Cooperation
and
Conflict,
XV,
1980,
249-261.
In
this
analysis
of
Finland’s
treaties
from
the
1920s
to
the
1970s
concerning
security
issues,
the
author
proceeds
from
a
dichotomy:
treaty
elements
regulating
the
political
activity
of
the
state
and,
on
the
other
hand,
actual
international
obligations
pertaining
to
arms
control.
Treaty
instruments
of
a
predominantly
political
character
fall
under
three
categories:
non-use
of
force,
obligation
to
use
force
under
specific
circumstances,
and
obligation
to
pursue
peace-strengthening
foreign
policy.
In
this
connection
the
author
deals
with
such
questions
as
the
inviolability
of
frontiers,
neutrality,
non-alignment
and
interna-
tional
security
guarantees
in
Finland’s
bilateral
and
multilateral
treaties.
Agreements
on
disarmament
and
arms
control
fall
under
the
concepts
of
zoning,
and
quantitative
and
qualitative
limitation
of
arms.
The
author
concludes
that
the
Finnish
agreements
reveal
’vogues’.
During
the
interwar
period
(1920-1939)
the
aim
of
Finnish
arms
control
policy
was
to
seek
a
general
European
system
of
mutual
regulations
through
treaties
prohibiting
the
use
and
threat
of
force
and
providing
methods
for
peaceful
settlement
of
disputes.
After
World
War
II
Finland’s
bilateral
treaty
obligations
became
more
specific
but,
at
the
same
time
and
especially
during
the
détente
period
since
the
1960s,
Finland
has
been
engaged
in
a
process
of
negotiation
based
on
concepts
of
positive
peace
and
active
interaction.
I .
INTRODUCTION
According
to
the
traditional
concept,
the
primary
aim
of
security
policy
is
to
protect
the
integrity
of
a
state
and
its
right
to
national
self-determination.
For
various
reasons
this
state-centred
view
of
security
has
given
way
to
a
concept
of
security
where
the
main
interest
is
the
security
and
well-being
of
citizens,
i.e.
of
physical
indi-
viduals.
The
safeguarding
of
a
state’s
inde-
pendence
under
all
circumstances
is -
e.g.
according
to
the
1976
Report
of
the
Second
Finnish
Parliamentary
Defence
Committee -
a
means
of
reaching
this
basic
objective.
The
phrase
’under
all
circumstances’
im-
plies
that
the
set
of
tools for
implementing
security
policy
must
be
as
large
as
possible.
Under
normal
circumstances
the
external
security
of
citizens
is
taken
care
of
primarily
by
means
of
foreign
policy,
whereas
in
a
crisis
and
in
the
event
of
an
armed
conflict,
diplomatic
activity
may
have
to
resort
to
the
use
of
armed
force,
or
national
defence.
A
foreign
policy
which
aims
at
strengthening
peace,
i.e.
peace
policy,
endeavours
to
give
its
achievements
the
form
of
international
treaties,
which
often
also
make
provisions
for
possible
ac-
tion
between
the
contracting
parties
in
a
situation
of
crisis
and
stipulate
for
the
ob-
ligations
pertaining
to
it.
Safeguarding
the
credibility
of
these
obligations
is
one
of
the
central
functions
of
peace-time
political
ac-
tivity.
When
analysing
Finland’s
treaties
on
security
policy
from
these
points
of
depar-
ture,
they
reveal
(a)
elements
regulating
the
political
activity
of
the
state
and
(b)
actual
obligations
pertaining
to
arms
control.
II.
POLITICAL
REGULATION
Finnish
political
decisions
on
the
safeguarding
of
her
security
are
regulated
by
treaty
stipulations
on
(1)
non-use
of
force,
(2)
obligation
and
right
to
use
force,
and
(3 )
obligation
to pursue
peace-
strengthening
policy.
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