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Rail cars loaded with steel sit at the ThyssenKrupp Schwelgern steel plant on May 30, 2018 in Duisburg, Germany. 

Economics

Politics

The European Union and the United States will increase efforts to deconflict their trade and climate policies ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential and EU parliamentary elections, but lingering disagreements will not allow for a complete respite of Trump-era tariffs on EU steel and aluminum.

EU-U.S. Steel and Aluminum Negotiations Make Limited Headway

Petteri Orpo, the leader of Finland’s National Coalition party, speaks to the media in Helsinki following parliamentary elections on April 2, 2023. 

Military & Security

The next government will not dispute Finland's NATO membership, but a right-wing coalition could increase tensions with the EU on issues like fiscal integration and immigration.

Government Change in Helsinki Will Not Affect Finland's NATO Prospects

Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) on Oct. 1, 2022, addresses parliament in Ankara, Turkey. A breakthrough in NATO accession negotiations between Turkey and Sweden and Finland is unlikely before Turkey's national elections later in 2023.

A breakthrough in NATO accession negotiations between Turkey and Sweden and Finland is unlikely before Turkey's national elections.

As Elections Near, Turkey Will Still Block Sweden and Finland's NATO Aspirations

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Why is Turkey blocking Finland's and Sweden's accession to NATO?

Essential Geopolitics: Why Turkey Is Blocking NATO From Bringing in Sweden and Finland

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 18, 2022, at the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara. 

Delaying Finnish and Swedish membership to wrest concessions from the Nordic nations could jeopardize arms deals and aid packages for Turkey from NATO members.

Turkey's Risky Strategy of Blocking Finland's and Sweden's NATO Membership

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Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Essential Geopolitics: How Turkey Is Keeping NATO on Its Toes

NATO headquarters on Feb. 11, 2020, in Brussels, Belgium. 

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

While Moscow will respond with disruptive measures, direct conflict between Russia and Sweden or Finland is unlikely at this time.

How Russia Would Respond to Finnish and Swedish NATO Membership

The Ukraine Conflict

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Polar bears in Essen Bay off the coast of Zemlya Georga -- an island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago -- on August 22, 2021.

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The suspension of Arctic Council activities following Russia's re-invasion of Ukraine presents an opening for China to challenge Arctic governance.

China's Opportunity to Break Into Arctic Governance

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (center), Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (left) and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde (right) give a press conference after their meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 24, 2022. 

Stockholm and Helsinki will avoid making such a major policy decision for now. But if public support for joining NATO outlasts the current war, future governments may reconsider. 


In Sweden and Finland, Russia's Ukraine Invasion Builds the Case for NATO Membership

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Norwegian army soldiers use snowmobiles for mobility during a military exercise on March 6, 2013, in Skjold, Norway. 

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The growing number of military and private actors in the increasingly accessible region is raising the risk of miscommunication or miscalculation.

Increased Arctic Activity Sets the Stage for U.S.-Russia Competition

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The watering down of initial proposals for the COVID-19 relief package shows that fault lines within the bloc still run deep and will continue to create problems during future crises.

The EU Reaches a Landmark Recovery Fund Deal, but Divisions Remain

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EU: Regional Blocs

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A horse grazes near oil pumpjacks outside the Russian city of Surgut on March 10, 2020. 

A Crude Recovery

COVID-19 market shocks have prompted the world’s oil producers to approve the biggest-ever production cut, though the move is still unlikely to keep prices from falling further.

OPEC+ Has Agreed to a Historic Production Cut. But Is It Enough? 

Finland formally joined NATO after Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto handed over official accession documents to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Reuters reported on April 4.

Finland: Country Formally Joins NATO

Turkey's National Assembly ratified Finland's ascension to NATO on March 30 in the final political hurdle for Helsinki joining the alliance, Reuters reported the next day.

Turkey, Finland: Ankara Approves Helsinki's NATO Membership

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the leader of Hungary's ruling Fidesz party, Mate Kocsis, said they would both back a vote for Finland's accession to NATO, Politico reported on March 17.

Finland, Sweden: Turkey, Hungary to Ratify Finland's NATO Bid, but Delay Sweden's Bid

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg publicly admitted that Finland may join the military alliance before Sweden, the Financial Times reported Feb. 14.

Finland, Sweden: Finland Reportedly Agrees to Join NATO Before Sweden

Poland and France are pressuring Germany to join a European initiative to supply German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Politico reported Jan. 9.

Ukraine, Germany: Pressure Builds for European Plan to Provide Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Sweden and Finland must do more to advance their bids to join NATO before he meets with each country's foreign minister, Bloomberg reported Nov. 29.

Turkey, Sweden, Finland: Ankara Says Nordic Countries Must Do More to Advance NATO Bid

Turkey lifted its objection to Sweden and Finland joining NATO after the three countries signed a memorandum of understanding addressing Ankara's main concerns, Politico reported June 28.

Turkey, Sweden, Finland: Countries Reach Deal on NATO Membership

Russian state natural gas exporter Gazprom informed Finnish state-owned gas wholesaler Gasum that it would halt flows of natural gas to Finland starting May 21 due to Gasum's refusal to pay for gas in rubles, Reuters reported May 20.

Finland, Russia: Moscow to End Natural Gas Deliveries to Helsinki

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A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

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Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

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A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

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Located in Northern Europe, Finland shares borders with Sweden, Russia and Norway, and the Gulf of Finland separates it from Estonia to the south. Finland's destiny has traditionally been shaped by its more powerful neighbors. During the Middle Ages, Finland progressively became part of the kingdom of Sweden. It was often a battleground between Sweden and Russia, and in the early 19th century it became an autonomous grand duchy in the Russian Empire. Finland gained independence only in 1917, and after World War II it chose a policy of neutrality, seeking a balance between Russia and the West. This became known as "Finlandization," a policy that to some extent continues to this day.     Finland is mostly flat, with few hills, thousands of lakes and islands, and large forests. Its cold weather explains why most of the population lives in the south of the country, where it is warmer and conditions for agriculture are better. Helsinki is the capital, and the Greater Helsinki area is Finland's core, because 1.5 million of the roughly 5.5 million people in the country live there. The region accounts for about a third of the country's gross domestic product. Because of its distance from large European markets, Finland lagged in industrialization, traditionally relying on agriculture, forestry and the production of paper. After World War II, the country started industrialization and economic liberalization, as it focused on electronics and services.     To some extent, Finland is still seeking a balance between its neighbors. While it joined the European Union in 1995 and the eurozone in the early 2000s, it is not a member of NATO. It is also interested in keeping close ties with its Nordic neighbors, and it is a founding member of the Nordic Council and of the intergovernmental bloc that was created even before the European Union. Finland's main geopolitical challenge is to preserve its independence and prevent its neighbors from dictating its future again. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Finland: Country Formally Joins NATO

Turkey, Finland: Ankara Approves Helsinki's NATO Membership

Finland, Sweden: Turkey, Hungary to Ratify Finland's NATO Bid, but Delay Sweden's Bid

Finland, Sweden: Finland Reportedly Agrees to Join NATO Before Sweden

Ukraine, Germany: Pressure Builds for European Plan to Provide Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine

Turkey, Sweden, Finland: Ankara Says Nordic Countries Must Do More to Advance NATO Bid

Turkey, Sweden, Finland: Countries Reach Deal on NATO Membership

Finland, Russia: Moscow to End Natural Gas Deliveries to Helsinki

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