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Discusses Finland's relationship to NATO; political and military cooperation, regional security, and Finnish views on membership.

In the past, Finland was often regarded as Finlandized, or as a country towing the policy line of its large and powerful neighbor. Today it is offered as a model for the newly emerging European democracies. Neither of these role models fits Finland well; the country's historical, political, and economic development would be hard to emulate. In the process of rapid change in Europe, Finland's situation produces an image of remarkable continuity: the domestic situation is stable, the rate of economic growth continues to be high, and the country's international situation is secure. The European situation as a whole continues to be volatile, however. It is in this overall context of rapid change that Finland will have to chart its course. The main policy issues for the 1990s will be European economic integration, the process of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and national defense.