Arms Control in Europe: Regimes, Trends and Threats, a book to be published in autumn after a peer review, is the product of Finnish and international cooperation. The book focuses on the current state of arms control, its development and any threats, particularly in Europe.
The project was originally started due to minor public attention and the slowly evolved indifference towards the topic in Europe.
– The hypothesis which acted as inspiration for the research project was that expertise in arms control has slowly decreased both in Finland and in Europe, says Tommi Koivula, special researcher and lecturer at National Defence University.
Koivula, together with doctor Katariina Simonen, senior researcher in the Faculty of Law at Helsinki University, led the project and recruited international top experts to collaborate on the book. Started at the beginning of 2016, the project will culminate in the publication of the book, consisting of ten expert articles, in publication series 1 of National Defence University.
Expertise lags behind development
According to Koivula, experts in arms control have become older, also causing a decrease in expertise.
– The general political understanding is slightly distorted in Finland and in Europe. After the Cold War, it was generally considered that Europe is in a state of peace, Koivula says.
According to Koivula, expertise in and understanding of arms control lags behind the development of the weapons technology. Combined with the increasing tensions between Russia and the west, this causes global uncertainties and the sense of insecurity.
This project aims to improve the visibility of arms control and to increase expertise in Finnish and international arms control. Another aim is to establish a more permanent European research network and to increase international interaction on the topic. In addition, the content of the book will be adapted for use on courses of strategy and security policy at National Defence University.
