This study examines Sweden’s and Finland’s security strategies for the Arctic region for the purpose of mapping and compare the two Nordic states. The study originates from the ongoing security dilemma in the Arctic illustrated by previous researcher, but neither Sweden nor Finland are sufficiently audited to fully describe the situation. Research also describes Sweden and Finland as small states and that these two states have employed various strategies during the 21st century which also increases the need of comparing the two Nordic states.
Sweden and Finland have many similarities which suggests that they will adapt similar security strategies for the Arctic region, but they also consist of different characteristics that might explain alterations in strategy.
The general result shows that Sweden and Finland constitute similar security strategies for the Arctic region by keeping the level of conflict low through multilateral cooperation with EU, UN, The Arctic Council and The Barents Euro-Arctic Council. Differences in strategies can be found in Finland’s bilateral cooperation with Russia and the US, which have explanatory power in Finland’s proximity to Russia while Sweden benefits from the strategic depth provided by Finland and Norway. In order to defend their arctic territory in the north, both countries employ armed forces rather than expanding outside their borders.