In an article recently published in the Journal on Baltic Security, researcher Saila Heinikoski examines how European military enhancement is presented necessary with political imperatives, while in contrast, the demilitarisation of the Åland Islands - within the European union - is justified with reference to multilateral agreements. Heinikoski argues that this might be seen as illustrating the differences in justifying military force and its absence. She further concludes, that while the European Union appears as a realist actor in terms of defence, Finland complies with the image of a normative power as far as the Åland Islands are concerned.

Saila Heinikoski is a researcher in the research project “Demilitarisation in an Increasingly Militarised World. International perspectives in a multilevel framework – the case of the Åland Islands”, that is a cooperation between researchers at the Åland Islands Peace Institute and the Arctic Center (University of Lapland, Rovaniemi). Research is supported by the Kone foundation and the Åland Culture Foundation (Ålands kulturstiftelse).

The article, “Pool it or lose it?” – a contrastive analysis of discourses concerning EU military integration and demilitarisation in the Baltic Sea, is open access and can be found in the Journal on Baltic Security Volume 3, issue 1, June 2017, here.

The registration for the autumn 2017 semester version of the E-course "Territorial Autonomy as a Tool for Diversity Management. Lessons from the Åland Example" will be open until 4 September 2017. The course is an introduction to territorial autonomy and the Åland Example. The aim of the course is to provide participants with a broad academic framework for discussing territorial autonomy from different perspectives. The course is given online, in co-operation between the Åland Islands Peace Institute and the Open university on Åland, between 18 September and 11 December 2017. Associate Professor in International Law Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark will be teaching the course.

More information can be found here.

On the Åland Autonomy Day, June 9, the Åland Peace Institute wants Åland to be a meeting place for all. At the square in Mariehamn, between 5 p.m and 7 p.m, we invite you to human meetings and Åland pancake. You are welcome to borrow a "human book" for a while! Human books are people with different backgrounds, professions, origins and with interesting experiences that they will share with you. We also serve Åland pancake and have quizzes for both adults and children.

The meeting place is organized with support from the Åland cultural delegation.

Link to Nyhetsbrev / Newsletter 1/2017

Nyhetsbrev / Newsletter 1/2017 as pdf

INNEHÅLL:

• Fredsinstitutet lanserar e-tidskriften
  JASS - Journal of Autonomy and Security Studies
• Roger Nordlund ny ordförande för fredsinstitutet
• Nu kan du anmäla dig till höstens e-kurs om territoriella autonomier
• Försoning som politik temat i ny bok av Kjell-Åke Nordquist
• Nya artiklar om demilitarisering
• Med mera ...

CONTENT:

• Launch of peer-reviewed academic journal:
  JASS - Journal of Autonomy and Security Studies
• Roger Nordlund new Chair of the Board of Directors
• Registration for e-course on territorial autonomy now open
• New book by Kjell-Åke Nordquist: “Reconciliation as Politics. A Concept and Its Practice”
• New articles on demilitarisation
• And more ...

The Journal of Autonomy and Security Studies (JASS) is a peer-reviewed, open access e-journal published by the Åland Islands Peace Institute (AIPI), Mariehamn, Åland, Finland. The journal addresses its overarching theme of peace and security from the perspectives of autonomy, demilitarisation, and minority protection.

After 25 years as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Peace Institute, Barbro Sundback has choosen to leave the Board. Roger Nordlund, Member of the Åland Parliament, former Speaker of the Åland Parliament and former Head of the Åland Government, has been elected new Chairperson. Two more new members of the Board have been elected, Nina Fellman, Minister in the Åland Government and Christian Pleijel, Secretary General of the European Small Islands Federation.
Four more members have completed their terms: Leena Lindqvist - who has been the Deputy Chair for 25 years - Roger Jansson, Susanne Eriksson and Lotta Angergård. Members Ulla Backlund, Katarina Fellman, Kenneth Gustavsson, Göran Lindholm and Lia Markelin have been re-elected.

Roger Nordlund, Barbro Sundback and Director Kjell-Åke Nordquist.

New scientific output from the research project ‘Demilitarisation in an increasingly militarised world’, has been published.

Sumia "Celina" Alshareef is an intern at the Peace Institute from 23 May to 22 June 2017. She is from Syria (Aleppo) and lives in Åland since one and a half years. Celina has studied international relations and diplomacy at Damascus University in Syria and has volunteer to support Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Celine's internship is part of her studies in Swedish at Medis in Mariehamn. In the future she wants to work with translation and complete her studies in international relations, so that she can work with international organizations to quickly support refugees, and refugee women in particular, who need support and help to start a new life.

Nicklas Böhm will be an intern from March to June 2017 at the Institute. Up to now he has been working mostly on the launch of the Institute's new E-journal JASS and he will be continuously assisting the other researchers and projects.

Nicklas has acquired a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Roskilde University and will be majoring in Conflict and Security studies at the University of Kent this fall. He has previously worked on publications concerning peace building and the implementation of peace agreements and has volunteered for various organisations promoting a peaceful coexistence.

Does the concept of reconciliation bring anything ”new” or useful to peace processes? This is the core research question in the new book “Reconciliation as Politics. A Concept and Its Practice” written by Kjell-Åke Nordquist, Professor in International Relations. Nordquist departs from the fact that during the last three decades, the concept of “reconciliation” formerly used mainly in psychotherapy, religion and casual discussions, has entered the stage of both international and national politics. This change has occured simultaneously with changes in the perception of the relations between the state and its subjects as well as changes in the nature of wars, from “traditional” interstate wars to international intrastate wars, and a blurred distinction between times of war and times of peace.

Kjell-Åke Nordquist, currently Director of the Åland Islands Peace Institute, builds upon his experiences from a combination of research and field work carried out mainly in South East Asia (East Timor / Timor Leste) and Australia, in Latin America (mainly Colombia) and in the Middle East (Israel and Plaestine) during two decades. In the publication he discusses both the concept of “political reconciliation” and the potential use of political reconciliation in peace processes.

The publication in published by Pickwich publications as volume 13 in the Church of Sweden series, and can be purchased from the publishing house.