Sec in Nordic-Baltic Region

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

The Nordic-Baltic region has been a location for East-West confrontation and cooperation for centuries. This course provides students with a broad understanding of security and defense in the Nordic-Baltic region. Students will learn about the differences in national threat perceptions, defense planning models, actors, and regional issues that influence national defense decision-making through exploring major themes in Nordic-Baltic security. They will also learn about the commonalities in the defense approaches existing in the region, and regional defense cooperation. How do these countries perceive their own security? What do they expect from their relations with the United States, their European neighbors, Russia, and China? What are the key characteristics of their defense force models and how and why do they differ? This course will address the above questions and help students explore how national and regional threat perceptions, policies and force models come into play in the security relations between the United States, and its allies and partners in Eastern Europe. By reviewing their security, economic, and domestic political dynamics, students will develop an understanding of the pressures the decision-makers of these countries face. Students will also learn about the most pressing security challenges in the region today.