Aland Islands: Strategic Importance and International Tensions

The demilitarized Aland Islands, strategically positioned in the Baltic, face potential Russian threats, impacting trade and regional security.

### The Strategic Importance of the Aland Islands in the Baltic Sea
* 🏝️  The Aland Islands are a demilitarized archipelago between Finland and Sweden, with a **unique strategic importance** due to their **location in the Baltic Sea**.
* 🌐  The islands are self-governing, with a **majority Swedish-speaking population**, but are under Finnish sovereignty and subject to **demilitarization treaties**.
* ⚔️  Historically, the islands have been a point of contention in major conflicts, with their **strategic value for controlling access to the Baltic Sea**.
* 🛡️  The current demilitarized status is seen as crucial for maintaining **regional stability**, with **strict rules on military presence and activities**.
* 🇷🇺  Russia's actions in Crimea in 2014 have heightened concerns about **potential threats to the islands**, leading to **increased vigilance and changes in defense planning**.
* 🇺🇦  The conflict in Ukraine has also raised awareness of **hybrid warfare tactics**, with concerns about potential Russian actions that could challenge the islands' status without triggering **NATO's Article 5**.
* 🕊️  Local residents are generally supportive of the islands' demilitarized status, with a **strong belief in international agreements as a safeguard for peace**.
* 🌍  The Aland Islands serve as a **microcosm of the challenges and benefits** of international agreements and demilitarization in **maintaining regional stability**.

We patrol daily, depending on what time of year it is. It's quite a vast area that we need to cover in the archipelago. The quaint, picturesque Aland islands don't look like they should be at the crux of tensions between east and west, but despite their status as Europe's oldest demilitarized zone, they inhabit such a strategic place in the world that many wonder how long that peace can be maintained. Finland has sovereignty. The population is mostly Swedish, and it is Russia that is in charge of making sure that they maintain a demilitarized status, which they have had, on and off again, since 1856. There are a number of people in the Finnish government who say maybe the threat from Russia is not imminent, but it is a real threat. It could unfold in the next couple of years. There's a window here, basically, to act and become more prepared.

The islands are self-governing in the sense that they have their own parliament in the capital city of Mariehamn, which is on the largest island. Aland has always been affected when there is a major war in the Baltic. I think it would be an important stronghold for any country that would have interest in the northern Baltic area. The most dangerous thing that could happen here on these islands is Russian troops coming. The assumption is that if Russia were to invade, it would trigger Article 5, which is the clause in NATO that means one country is invaded, everybody else has to jump to their defense. These islands are incredibly important for trade. A huge amount of trade goes through the islands directly or in the surrounding seas. This is particularly a concern to Finland because 96% of Finland's trade travels through the Baltic Sea. All my life, I've been working in the Alands Museum. I'm trying to create a pattern.

a base of history facts so that people today working in strategical discussions know what happened, so they themselves can understand why something could happen in the future. The countries us around
also had an interest in the Aland Islands from
a strategic point of view, because from Aland, you can put a threat on
Sweden, for instance. Stockholm is quite near, and on the other side, the main Finland, and you can also block the
entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia or partly the Gulf of Finland
from the Aland Islands. Aland was demilitarized
for the first time in 1856, and after that, Swedes came in 1918. The Germans came here a
few weeks after in 1918. In 1921, Aland was de-militarized again, and in 1940, the Russia
demanded that Aland had to be demilitarized again. I don't think it's for everyone's liking.

but on the other hand, if you change the status
of the Aland Islands, you don't know what
will happen afterwards. But if the status is
status quo, so to say, you know what it is. Most people today think that
autonomy and demilitarization, they are the two cornerstones
of the Aland's existence. The rules are very strict, and it's all been laid out
under this sort of series of overlapping international treaties. Finland is not allowed to
militarize the islands, but they are allowed
to have a coast guard. The coast guard can do a certain amount of
patrolling, for example, but the coast guard can't
have military-grade weapons. The big turning point was in 2014 when the Crimea was attacked, and things have developed from that not in a good way. The planning, all the equipment in use, and all the training for the
personnel has changed a bit

from information about how modern warfare is conducted in Ukraine, and things are educated in different ways for our conscripts. My gut feeling is the local people have a positive attitude to
Finland's partnership in NATO, and especially the northern
countries' cooperation. According to the recent polls, there's not a support
for military personnel to be stationed on Aland
Islands from the Alanders, so I don't see it as a likely event. But everyone is a little bit more aware of the international situation
and the security situation. For instance, I feel that
we are getting more tips about people observing things that they feel that are
out of the ordinary. This whole idea of hybrid warfare is something that people are
thinking about a lot these days because there have been examples of what people think
have been Russia engaging in hybrid warfare in other
parts of the Baltic Sea. The problem with certain types of actions, like, for example,
sabotage of infrastructure that looks like an accident,

or you know, maybe some sort
of propaganda operations. Is they sort of fall short
of triggering Article 5, or they may fall short of
seeming aggressive enough that Finland would then be able to say, Right, these islands are being threatened, and therefore we need to move in. People were very fired up
after Russia invaded Ukraine, and in fact, a group of
them have found themselves in front of the Russian
consulate the day it happened, and they have not missed
a day of protesting since. My name is Mosse Wallen. I'm a retired journalist, and I've been standing here screaming outside the Russian consulate every day since the war started. Today is day 832. We were angry. We felt empathy with the Ukrainian people, and maybe we were also a little bit scared because we remember that we have a border to Russia, a border of 1,300 kilometers. Stop the war. Stop the war. Free Ukraine. Free Ukraine.

We are safe with this demilitarization here on the islands, and we think that if everybody in the world keeps to international agreements, then it would be fine. They seem very complex on the surface, but the way they work is actually to create a stalemate, which is a very simple concept, right? So, because Finland is not allowed to militarize them, they can't use those islands as a threat to Russia. On the other hand, because Finland is legally obligated to defend them were Russia to attack, the theory goes that, then, provides a deterrent against Russian aggression. It's a fascinating place, spectacularly beautiful. There are these people that are so committed to the idea of treaties and international law, and wanting to see that model not just protected in this specific place but used elsewhere in the world. These sorts of international agreements only work until they don't.

How This Tiny Archipelago Became a NATO-Russia Flashpoint

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The Strategic Importance of the Aland Islands

The Aland islands, despite their demilitarized status, are a crucial point of tension between east and west.

With a mostly Swedish population, the islands are under Russian oversight to maintain demilitarization since 1856, but there are concerns about a potential Russian threat in the near future.

The islands' strategic location in the northern Baltic area makes them a crucial stronghold for trade, especially for Finland, through which 96% of the country's trade passes.

The Strategic Significance of the Aland Islands

The Aland Islands have been a strategic point of interest due to their potential threat to Sweden and their ability to block the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland.

The islands have a history of demilitarization and strict autonomy, governed by overlapping international treaties.

In 2014, the strategic importance of the islands shifted due to geopolitical developments after the Crimea was attacked, leading to changes in military planning and personnel training.

The Impact of Russia's Actions on Finland's Security Perspective

Finland's partnership in NATO is positively viewed by the local population, especially in the northern countries.

There is no support for military personnel to be stationed on Aland Islands, as indicated by recent polls.

The concept of hybrid warfare, as demonstrated by Russia in other parts of the Baltic Sea, has raised awareness of the security situation, but certain actions may not be seen as aggressive enough to trigger a response from Finland.

The Role of Demilitarized Islands in International Agreements

Demilitarized islands create a stalemate, preventing them from being used as a threat while also serving as a deterrent against aggression.

The concept relies on the legal obligation to defend the islands, but the effectiveness of international agreements is not guaranteed in the long run.

The dedicated individuals on the demilitarized islands advocate for the protection of the treaty model in this location and globally.