Finland in the New Europe

Jakobson tells the story of a small nation that has emerged a winner from the ordeals of the twentieth century. Finland is still widely remembered for its successful resistance against Soviet attempts to subjugate it during World War II, but less is known about the skillful balancing act by which Finns preserved their independence and way of life during the Cold War. Finland is in fact one of the few European nations that can claim an unbroken record of democratic rule ever since the beginning of the 20th century.

By joining the European Union, Finland has now finally moved out of Moscow's shadow and, thanks to investment in education and technological development, has joined the dozen most prosperous nations in the world. The Finnish experience casts new light on the central issues facing Europe today—for example, the contradiction between the continuing vitality of nationalism and the pressures of integration, as well as the challenge of how to relate to Russia, still an unknown factor in the European security equation. This is a major work for all scholars and researchers of Scandinavian and European Studies.

MAX JAKOBSON is a former diplomat who played a key role in the shaping of Finland's foreign policy during the Cold War. As Finnish ambassador to the United Nations, he was America's favorite candidate to succeed U Thant as secretary-general, but in 1971 was vetoed by the Soviets, who preferred Kurt Waldheim. Since leaving government service in 1975, Jakobson has written extensively on international affairs. His books include The Diplomacy of the Winter War and The United Nations in the 1990s—A Second Chance?. His columns are published frequently in the International Herald Tribune.