International Pressure to Perform: Counterterrorism Policy Development in Finland

Abstract

The major terrorist attacks in Western countries during the last fifteen years have had consequences way beyond the countries in which they have happened. The article provides a primary source-based account of the development of counterterrorism policy in Finland, which is one of those countries with a low national threat level. The article demonstrates the significant role that international pressure, through obligations, recommendations, and social learning, plays in developing national counterterrorist policies. The article calls also into question whether the pressure to comply with international pressure always contributes toward sound national counterterrorism policies that foster political resilience to terrorism.

Prevention of terrorism, extremism and radicalisation in Sweden: a sociological institutional perspective on development and change

“…Furthermore, the paper discerns the problems and solutions considered important and appropriate during each of the field's five stages and illustrates how specific organisational actors were affected. Since previous literature suggests national policymaking on PTER as sensitive and reactive to different forms of institutional pressure (Crenshaw 2001, Malkki 2016, Smith et al 2019, paying attention to how PTER is framed in media can help further our understanding of when and why policymakers on different levels act the way they do. The findings also exemplify the benefits of studying the development of the field from multiple theoretical and methodological approaches, as it unlocks the potential to explore new important facets, processes and actors relating to the field's development.…”

“…Research mapping changes of contemporary counter-terrorism and PVE/CVE approaches have primarily relied on empirical analyses of formal policy and political processes (e.g. Nohrstedt and Hansén 2010, Bossong 2012, Strandh and Eklund 2015, Malkki 2016. While this stream of research brings valuable insights, it often fails to properly address important factors and processes of change located outside the formal political arena.…”

To Call or Not to Call It Terrorism: Public Debate on Ideologically-motivated Acts of Violence in Finland, 1991–2015

“…Labelling terrorism as one of the key threats in national security policy papers-even if the national threat level is very low by any estimation-is a way to signal commitment to international cooperation. 8 The possibilities for acquiring attention and resources by using the (counter)terrorism label are not limited to governments and the political elite. Large-scale governmental investment into counterterrorism, for example in the form of financing granted by the United States' Department of Homeland Security, comes with business opportunities.…”

Safe Space, Dangerous Territory: Young People’s Views on Preventing Radicalization through Education—Perspectives for Pre-Service Teacher Education

“…Contentious matters aside, the issues of violence and extremism are never actually far from the surface of international educational policy. Yet, while traditions of human rights and cultural understanding have a long tradition in Finnish education [17], policy and research on the prevention of violent extremism, physical and ideological, has become a new phenomenon in Finland, as it has worldwide [4,18,19]. Rather novel as a specific field of study, the manner in which PVE-E has emerged is quite extraordinary, though the jury, so to speak, is out on the actual effectiveness of such programmes, including in teacher education and training [20].…”