Societal Security in the Baltic Sea Region: Expertise Mapping and Raising Policy Relevance

The Latvian Institute of International Affairs in cooperation with the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and the Centre of International and Regional Policy has launched a new project: “Societal Security in the Baltic Sea Region: Expertise Mapping and Raising Policy Relevance”.

This project will seek to learn from Nordic best practices in societal security research and develop non-Nordic research and expertise on this issue, contributing to more informed political and expert debates on societal security in the Baltic countries, Poland, Northeast Russia and Belarus. It will also provide recommendations for policy-makers and experts for continued work on this issue.

Broadly, societal security is about resilience of societies and their ability to cope with crises, but more specific conceptual framework – especially one suited for analyzing threats faced by non-Nordic states – is lacking. In non-Nordic states, the concept of societal security is still largely unknown and subsumed under the more conventional, nation-state-centered understanding of security. It is important to develop a more comprehensive understanding of societal security as it applies to different societies around the Baltic Sea Region.

The project is carried out by the Latvian Institute of International Affairs in cooperation with the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), Finland and the Centre of International and Regional Policy (CIRP), Russia. It is supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers.