State And Non-State Cross-Border Cooperation Between North Karelia And Its (Un) Familiar Russian Neighbors

Henrik D Nielsen

doi:10.24057/2071-9388-2020-211

Abstract

Russia has often been seen in a negative light and as a difficult place for foreigners to operate, both currently and in the past. To a large extent, this is also true for Finland, which has fought several wars against its eastern neighbor and whose border with Russia has been closed for years. However, Finland, and in particular North Karelia, also has a long history of cross-border cooperation with Russian partners.This paper seeks to analyze why North Karelian governmental and NGO actors choose to engage in cross-border cooperation with Russian counterparts and explain why they have been so successful.The answers are sought via a historical review of the relationship between Finland and Russia, in particular the role and importance of Karelia as a source of both conflict and consolidation. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews with Finnish cross-border cooperation actors are utilized in the analysis. The theoretical approach is grounded in (un)familiarity, which is used to explain the pull-push effects of the border.In conclusion, it was found that the Finnish actors harbor a historical feeling of connectedness and nostalgia towards the Karelian area which pulls them across the border. Because of the proximity they see cross-border cooperation as a natural extension of their work. Finally, the success is connected to the increased familiarity and close personal relations that have been build up over the years.

Highlights

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the expectations that Russia would transform from its communist-inspired system and adopt a Western understanding of capitalism and democracy were high
Like the Danish journalist, some people will undoubtedly think that hatred towards Russia would be embedded in Finns considering Finland was under Russian rule for 100 years until independence in 1917, and later fought two wars against the Soviet Union to keep the independence
The coat of arms of Finland is one example, it dates back to the 16th century when Finland was a part of Sweden and features a lion tramping on a curved saber, a symbol of the wars against Russia

Summary

Introduction

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the expectations that Russia would transform from its communist-inspired system and adopt a Western understanding of capitalism and democracy were high. Russia was not even given until the end of the decade before it was labeled a failed and corrupt country led by the mafia (Shleifer and Treisman 2005; Jakobson 1998). While the election of Putin in 2000 brought about a short-lived optimism (Shleifer and Treisman 2005), the negative perception has proven to be quite durable (Nielsen 2019). Whether the negative perception of Russia is a centuryold legacy, a Western media construction, or something else is as such irrelevant, yet it is real. Real that it has been a concern for Russian President Putin, who has tried to change the negative perception (Feklyunina 2008)

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