UPPFATTNINGAR AV ETT NYTT RYSSLAND–VÄRNKRAFT ELLER STRATEGISK TIMEOUT? Inverkan av Rysslandsuppfattning på svensk-finsk nedrustning 1995–2009

Abstract

This study investigates Swedish and Finnish official perception of Russia following the Cold War. This is aimed at categorizing changes in perception of Russia over time and assessing the impact of perception on defense policy. The study uses a comparative method where the contents of three foreign policy reports of Sweden and Finland respectively are analyzed according to dimensions based in image theory. Results show that Swedish and Finnish perceptions of Russia are overall similar between the reports being compared, except for Finnish perception of Russian relative power being significantly greater. Changes in Swedish and Finnish official perception do not clearly correlate with changes in defense policy. It is concluded that governments’ officially expressed perception of other states can not necessarily be taken as an indication of future defense policy.