“Masks off”- Why Finland joined NATO A discourse analysis of Finnish NATO membership discourse during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Abstract

On May 17, 2022, Finland sent a membership application for NATO. This was a historic decision that will change the European security environment and relations in the High North. It was also a historically surprising turn of events, given Finland's long-lasting policy of neutrality, and the fact that in the autumn of 2021 only 26 percent of Finns supported the NATO membership.

This thesis aims to study the reasons behind the Finnish membership application and see how the Russian invasion of Ukraine has influenced Finnish NATO discourse and decision making. By answering these questions, the study shows why Finland joined NATO. To do this, a discourse analysis on Finnish mainstream NATO discourse was conducted. The study is based on news articles by the Finnish public radio, politician’s speeches in the Parliament, and Government publications from the spring of 2022 and I used a thematic analysis to study them.

The study shows that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had a major role in Finland’s decision to apply for NATO membership. It also identified the main arguments and themes in the discourse, as well as the style of the discourse. It shows that the discourse evolved throughout the spring to be more one-sided and pro-NATO and identifies the key reasons for that.

The day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine the Finnish president Sauli Niinistö told the press that “Now the masks have been taken off, and only the cold face of war is visible”, referring to Russia showing its true colors. On May 17, 2022, Finland answered the Russian aggression by also taking off its mask, revealing a Western NATO country.