Carolina, Helsinki students explore global security careers, principles
April 16, 2024UNC Global Affairs
Students participate in the UNC-Chapel Hill-University of Helsinki exchange program on women in global security.
Exchange program examines importance of international alliances
After 74 years of an official foreign policy position of neutrality, Finland joined NATO on April 4, 2023. Finnish Consul General Jarmo Sareva visited Carolina on that day, and he returned one year later to commemorate it.
The Office of the Vice Provost for Global Affairs (OVPGA) organized a Diplomatic Discussion with Sareva in the Nelson Mandela Auditorium. During the event, which was co-sponsored by UNC’s Center for European Studies, Sareva examined Finland’s decision to join NATO and the strategic role it plays in maintaining global security. He spoke specifically of NATO’s relevance today and the importance of remaining united in response to Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
“Victory will only whet Russia’s appetite,” he said. “A bully only stops when stopped.”
The Diplomatic Discussion was part of the Women in Global Security Exchange Program, funded by the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki’s public affairs grant program. The OVPGA organized the exchange between UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Helsinki to provide students with opportunities to learn about and prepare to pursue careers in global security. Six students and two faculty members from the Finnish university traveled to North Carolina, April 1-5, to participate in presentations, simulations and field trips related to cybersecurity, emergency preparedness, energy security and defense. Program events were open to the greater Carolina community and dozens of students were able to explore global security issues with their Finnish counterparts. Six Carolina students, one faculty member and one staff member will travel to Finland and Estonia later this spring for the second part of the exchange.
“Carolina was the perfect fit for this exchange program,” Tim Rose, Carolina’s associate director for exchange and sponsored programs, said. “UNC and our partner, the University of Helsinki, have both the expertise in various issues pertaining to global security and the ability to provide transformative, experiential opportunities for students. This expertise fit in well with the type of programs the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki was looking to support.”
Rose and Erinn Whitaker, a professor of the practice in Carolina’s Peace, War and Defense (PWAD) program, worked closely with Hanna Wass, vice-dean of the faculty of social sciences, and Sonja Amadae, adjunct professor and director of the global politics and communication program, both of the University of Helsinki. Wass and Amadae traveled to Carolina in April, and Rose and Whitaker will travel to Finland in May.
The timing of the first part of the exchange was intentional. Understanding NATO — including Finland’s recent accession and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — is central to the program’s learning objectives. On the same day as the Diplomatic Discussion, Finland’s president Alexander Stubb signed a 10-year security agreement with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The following day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined representatives from NATO countries in Brussels, Belgium, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the alliance. Later that day, Blinken and Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen signed a memorandum of understanding to expand collaboration between the two nations.
During the one-week exchange in Chapel Hill, participants learned from Carolina faculty in PWAD, Political Science and Geography; toured and met with state security experts at the NC National Guard Joint Force Headquarters and State Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh; visited Fort Liberty to learn about special operations, information warfare and women in the U.S. military; and conducted discussions, simulations and activities.
“During the simulation, we reflected on when we first heard of Russia’s attack on Ukraine,” Kate Klinger ’26 said. “In that moment, I realized how much closer the conflict feels when Russia is your neighbor. Americans must remember our trans-Atlantic partners and the personal stories of those whom this war affects daily.”
Later this spring, when Carolina participants travel to Europe, they will visit Finland’s Ministry of Defense, Institute of International Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Helsinki, as well as the International Center for Defense and Security and NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia.
“The week in Chapel Hill exceeded all our expectations,” Wass said. “We will build on the exciting and encouraging outcomes from the first part of the exchange when UNC-Chapel Hill students come to us in May. In our discussions and activities, we will closely examine the upcoming elections in the European Union and the future of NATO.”
During her opening remarks, Vice Provost for Global Affairs and Chief Global Officer Barbara Stephenson referenced a quote from Richard Haass, the former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, in his book The World: “Countries can be friends, even close partners, but allies have a solemn obligation to come to one another’s defense.”
Stephenson spoke of the history of NATO and the role the alliance has played in promoting democracy and security around the world. She also emphasized the importance of programs like the Women in Global Security Exchange Program in helping tomorrow’s leaders pursue solutions to shared global challenges.
“Finland is our friend. Finland is a close partner, and as of April 4, 2023, Finland is a crucial NATO ally,” Stephenson said. “These students are discovering the importance of this bilateral relationship through a transformative experience. I cannot wait to hear from our students when they return from Finland in a few weeks.”
You can watch Sareva’s Diplomatic Discussion below.