Political Parties and Foreign Policy in Finland
| Author | Pertti Joenniemi |
| DOI | 10.1177/001083677801300103 |
| Published date | 01 March 1978 |
| Date | 01 March 1978 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Political
Parties
and
Foreign
Policy
in
Finland
PERTTI
JOENNIEMI
Tampere
Peace
Research
Institute,
Tampere
Joenniemi,
P.
Political
Parties
and
Foreign
Policy
in
Finland.
Cooperation
and
Conflict,
XIII
,
1978,
43-60.
In
the
discussion
on
parliamentarizing
foreign
policy
making
in
Finland
the
role
of
political
parties
and
public
opinion
has
not
been
essential
and
central
topics.
The
aim
of
this
article
is
therefore
to
penetrate
deeper
into
the
process
of
foreign
policy
making
and
illuminate
developments
on
the
level
of
political
parties
and
public
opinion
which
are
quite
crucial
for
the
foreign
policy
of
the
country.
As
well
as
an
empirical
descrip-
tion
of
the
role
of
political
parties
and
public
opinion
there
is
also
an
effort
to
open
up
for
more
general
theoretical
discussion
how
to
relate
to
this
level
of
foreign
policy
making.
It
is
argued
that
public
opinion
can
be
regarded
as
a
basic
resource
of
the
foreign
policy
of
a
small
country.
Innovation
on
a
theoretical
level
might
well
be
the
key
to
further
developments
reforming
the
foreign
policy
making
system.
I.
INTRODUCTION
The
aim
of
this
article
is
to
penetrate
deeper
into
the
process
of
foreign
policy
making
than
is
usual
by
emphasizing
the
role
of
political
parties
and
public
opin-
ion.
This
aspect
of
Finnish
foreign
policy
has
rarely
been
in
the
focus
of
interna-
tional
interest.
Finnish
foreign
policy
has
occasionally
been
of
broader
interest,
but
this
has
mainly
been
oriented
towards
the
top
of
the
foreign
policy
process
and
the
political
leaders.
The
level
of
political
parties
and
public
opinion
has
been
largely
outside
the
scope
of
interest.
For
Finland,
itself
a
small
country
provided
with
modest
resources
to
deal
and
interact
with
its
international
envi-
ronment,
public
opinion -
and
political
parties
as
canalizers
of
public
opinion -
is
a
significant
resource.
Although
the
role
of
foreign
policy
leaders -
mainly
the
presidents -
has
been
significant,
public
opinion
is
nevertheless
the
founda-
tion
of
the
foreign
policy
line
of
the
country.
This
line
has
to
some
extent
been
formulated
by
the
leaders
without
the
immediate
support
of
public
opinion
-
or
all
political
parties
for
that
matter -
but
it
could
not
have
developed
and
reached
its
present
stability
without
the
active
support
of
public
opinion.
In
the
process
of
formulating
the
present
foreign
policy
line
of
the
country
political
parties
have
played
mainly
an
intermediary
role.
The
aim
of
this
article
is
to
describe
essential
features
of
public
opinion
in
Finland
in
relation
to
foreign
policy.
As
there
is
a
scarcity
of
data -
and
data
on
the
trends
of
development -
strong
emphasis
will
also
be
placed
on
the
foreign
policy
profiles
of
political
parties.
Another
aim
is
to
discuss
the
role
of
political
parties
and
public
opinion
in
relation
to
a
suggested
reform
of
foreign
policy
decision-making.
In
the
Interim
Report
of
the
Committee
on
the
Consti-
tution,
arguments
were
presented
in
favor
of
a
more
effective
parliamentariza-
tion
of
the
foreign
policy
making
process.
1
In
view
of
such
a
reform -
so
far
the
committee
report
has
been
merely
an
expression
of
a
tendency
in
public
discus-
sion -
interest
in
the
role
of
political
parties
and
public
opinion
in
foreign
policy
grows.
The
reforms
contemplated
make
it
even
more
important
than
previ-
ously
to
interpret
public
opinion
as
a
resource
for
foreign
policy.
It
is
partly
in
this
light
that
an
analysis
of
the
foreign
policy
profiles
of the
political
parties
is
presented -
their
interest
in
foreign
pol-
icy,
the
direction
of
their
standpoints,
their
channels
of
influence,
and
their
attitudes
towards
public
opinion.
44
II.
THE
ROLE
OF
PARTIES
IN
FINN-
ISH
FOREIGN
POLICY
In
the
political
system
of
Finland
foreign
policy
forms
a
special
field
of
activity.
This
has
been
registered
in
the
Constitu-
tion
in
that
the
power
to
conduct
foreign
policy
is
vested
in
the
President.
Parlia-
ment,
bereft
of
executive
authority
as
it
is,
participates
in
foreign
policy
decision-
making
primarily
in
questions
specifically
mentioned
in
the
Constitution,
e.g.
in
giving
its
consent
to
treaties
with
foreign
powers
and
deciding
on
questions
of
peace
and
war
or
in
cases
in
which
new
legislation
is
needed.
The
decisions
made
by
virtue
of
the
powers
granted
by
the
Constitution
are,
as
far
as
foreign
policy
is
concerned,
within
the
competence
of
the
President
and
the
Ministry
for
Foreign
Affairs.
Domestic
policy,
on
the
other
hand,
is
entrusted
to
Parliament
and
a
Government
responsible
for
it.
As
foreign
policy
in
Finland
has
gen-
erally
been
considered
to
take
precedence
over
domestic
policy,
it
follows
that
political
parties
have
only
to
a
lesser
extent
any
chance
of
influencing
foreign
policy.
They
are
not
totally
relegated
to
the
sidelines,
however,
but
have
their
own
function
in
laying
the
domestic
setting
for
foreign
policy.
Although
for-
eign
policy
decisions
are
made
in
a
cen-
tralized
fashion
and
often
in
the
absence
of
public
opinion,
political
parties
are
nonetheless
expected
to
support
them
so
as
to
enhance
the
credibility
of
the
chosen
policy
in
the
eyes
of
foreign
powers.
Thus,
it
is
clear
that
as
far
as
the
substance
of
foreign
policy
is
con-
cerned
the
borderline
between
foreign
and
domestic
policy
cannot
be
drawn
too
precisely;
foreign
policy
is
more
than
just
ideas
entertained
by
the
foreign
policy
leadership
as
to
which
is
the
right
course
of
action
at
any one
point
in
time.
The
role
of
parties
in
foreign
policy
can
thus
be
characterized
as
a
double
one:
they
do
not
participate
much
in
actual
decision-making
nor
in
the
formu-
lation
of
policy
goals,
but
they
do
answer
for
the
solidarity
of
domestic
support
for
foreign
policy.
Accordingly,
the
principal
function
of
parties
would
seem
to
be
legitimization
of
the
policy
being
pursued.
On
the
other
hand,
the
role
of
parties
encompasses
other
functions
which
do
not
serve
legitimization.
In
Finland
the
stabi-
lity
of
the
domestic
scene
and
the
com-
patibility
of
foreign
and
domestic
policy
have
often
been
emphasized
as
sine
qua
non
for
a
successful
foreign
policy.
For-
eign
policy
considerations
are
strongly
reflected
in
many
domestic
policy
deci-
sions,
and
these
decisions
must
be
freely
compatible
with
the
practices
of
a
demo-
cratic
society.
Foreign
policy
must
not
be
’off
limits’
to
public
discussion
and
the
decision-makers
must
try,
as
far
as
possible,
to
take
into
account
the
views
of
citizens
and
those
of the
organizations
representing
them.
In
this
spectrum
polit-
ical
parties
not
only
play a
legitimizing
role
but
also
participate
in
making
for-
eign
and
domestic
policy
compatible.
While
Finnish
party
formation
and
parties
in
general
rest
upon
mutually
opposing
ideologies
and
interest
groups,
in
foreign
policy
they
tend
to
stress
una-
nimity
rather
than
differences
of
opinion.
Such
unanimity
cannot
remain
merely
passive,
for
no
substantial
body
of
opin-
ion
can
entirely
avoid
taking
stands
in
foreign
policy
or
try
to
join
the
wagon
by
concealing
its
divergent
views.
In
fact,
the
domestic
base
of
foreign
policy
has
been
largely
ensured
through
the
fact
that
the
parties
have
expressed
their
full
support
for
the
foreign
policy
orientation
followed.
It
is
true
that
there
has
been
disagreement
as
to
the
interpretation
of
principles
but
the
basic
orientation
of
for-
eign
policy
is,
by
and
large,
commonly
supported.
In
this
context,
the
parties
have
also
influenced
the
direction
of
public
opinion
with
respect
to
foreign
policy -
even
if
to
a
lesser
degree
than
in
domestic
policy.
On
the
other
hand,
the
parties
have
acted
as
intermediaries
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