TIME IS UP – SANTA IS IN A SNOWSTORM: NORDICS-BALTICS-POLAND IN AN ERA OF ESCALATING AND EXISTENTIAL THREATS

Av Patrik Oksanen
Publicerad 17 April, 2025

At a time when the European security environment is increasingly defined by the growing threat from Russia, the need for strong leadership is greater than ever. In the Baltic Sea region – directly bordering Russia – this threat is especially pronounced. 

What unites us in Northern Europe, however, is more than geography and threat perception. It is a shared foundation of values, motivations, and long-term goals – a foundation where cooperation within the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) has played a central role. To preserve and strengthen this cooperation, a jointly defined target and decisive action are essential.

In this timely report, Patrik Oksanen, Resident Senior Fellow at Stockholm Free World Forum, analyzes the security situation in the Baltic Sea region and Europe at large. He presents concrete policy recommendations and issues a clear call to action. Together, the Nordic countries, the Baltic states, and Poland have the potential to be a driving force for stronger and more unified European security cooperation.

Anna Rennéus Guthrie, Director of Stockholm Free World Forum, has written the foreword to this report.

Patrik Oksanen is resident senior fellow at Stockholm Free World Forum and responsible for CIDA. Patrik works as a freelance journalist and lecturer, and is also a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Military Sciences and the Royal Swedish Naval Society. He has extensive experience as a journalist, writer and opinion maker in security and defence. He was named the Opinion Writer of the Year 2017 by Dagens Opinion and the Journalist of the Year in 2018 by Dagens Media.