In this Context interview, Martti Ahtissari, former President of Finland, spoke about a more holistic view of how security is achieved and maintained in contrast to the current situations between Russia and Ukraine.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in much discussion of European Security and whether or not current arrangements and resources are adequate to deter threats. While much of the discussion has focused on NATO, former President of Finland, Martti Ahtissari, spoke to us about a more holistic view of how security is achieved and maintained.
Martti Ahtisaari served as the tenth President of Finland from 1994 to 2000. He is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a United Nations diplomat and mediator, noted for his international peace work. In October 2008, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for his efforts on several continents, over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts."
The Global Europe Program is focused on Europe’s capabilities, and how it engages on critical global issues. We investigate European approaches to critical global issues. We examine Europe’s relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Our initiatives include “Ukraine in Europe”—an examination of what it will take to make Ukraine’s European future a reality. But we also examine the role of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE, Europe’s energy security, transatlantic trade disputes, and challenges to democracy. The Global Europe Program’s staff, scholars-in-residence, and Global Fellows participate in seminars, policy study groups, and international conferences to provide analytical recommendations to policy makers and the media. Read more
