The demilitarisation and neutralisation of the Åland Islands is a confirmation of, and an exception to, the collective security system in present-day international affairs. Its core idea is that there is no need for military presence in the territory of the islands and that they are to be kept out of military activities. A restricted use of military force has a confidence building effect in cases where competing interests may be so intense that banning the very presence of military force remains the only viable option. The regime of the Åland Islands is the result of pragmatic and contingent political compromises. As such, the case of the Åland Islands offers an alternative trajectory to the increased militarisation we witness around the world today. Through parliamentary and archival materials, international treaties and academic works, the authors examine the legal rules and institutional structures of the demilitarisation regime. In this process they reassess core concepts of international law and international affairs, such as sovereignty and security, and introduce a theoretical view on the empirical case study of the Åland Islands. The book covers legal, political and policy discursive aspects of demilitarisation, international co-operation, defence and security matters around the Baltic Sea with a broader European and global relevance. It can be a source of inspiration for all those in search of constructive efforts that can address territorial disputes and security challenges.

"The demilitarisation and neutralisation of the Åland Islands is both a confirmation of and an exception to the collective security system prevailing in present day international affairs. There is no need for military presence in the territory of the islands and the islands are to be kept out of military activities, notwithstanding the right of Finland to defend its territory. The regime of demilitarisation and neutralisation of the Åland Islands relies upon the confidence building effect of a restricted use of military force and the preference for diplomatic communication and openness, or even contestation, on the basis of a legal agreement and longstanding practice. However, the security regime of the Åland Islands is also the result of a pragmatic compromise at a given moment and under conditions of a certain balance of power. It presupposes the ability of Finland to defend the demilitarisation and neutralisation primarily through diplomatic tools, but if needed also militarily. It is about the presence and the absence of the military at one and the same time. In this dual mode, the case of the Åland Islands, offers an alternative trajectory to the increased militarisation we witness around the world today.Through parliamentary materials, international treaties, academic work and archives, the authors examine the legal rules and institutional structures of the demilitarisation regime in their broader position and practical implementation in international law. This book reassesses core concepts of international law and international affairs, such as (territorial) sovereignty and collective self-defence, and opens up for a theoretical view on the empirical case study of the Åland Islands. It offers a fresh and path-breaking coherent arguments and the insights are of relevance for the study of other cases of demilitarization, not only in the Nordic region (Svalbard) but also for the Antarctic regime, several islands in the Mediterranean, and open ended situations such as in Cyprus where the Kofi Annan plan included a demilitarization component. Demilitarisation in an Increasingly Militarised World covers both legal as well as political and policy discursive aspects of demilitarization, international cooperation, defence and security matters around the Baltic sea with a broader European and global relevance. It can be a source of inspiration for civil society in particular within the peace movement in a broad sense and for all those in search of constructive and peaceful efforts that can address territorial conflicts and military confrontation in border regions and will be of interest to researchers, academics, policymakers, and students in the fields of international law, political science, European affairs, international relations, security studies, area studies, history, and conceptual history."--Provided by publisher.

The Åland Islands constitute a very special case in international law. This island territory under Finland's sovereignty has been demilitarised and neutralised for more than one hundred and forty years and autonomous for more than seventy years. In 1921 the Council of the League of Nations laid down international guarantees for the autonomy and the Swedish character of Åland, and a multilateral convention on Åland's demilitarisation and neutralisation was concluded in the same year. The convention is still in force and Åland's autonomy is firmly anchored in both customary international law and Finnish constitutional law. This volume is the first to comprehensively analyse Åland's international legal status. Coverage of its articles includes: analyses of the status and content of Åland's autonomy, military issues, and the relationship between Åland and the EU. The solution achieved for Åland may provide a valuable model of autonomy. This book is important not only for experts and students of international law, but for anyone concerned with territorial autonomy as a possible means for enhancing political rights of minorities.

Legal theory has been much occupied with understanding legal systems and analysing the concept of legal system. This has usually been done on the tacit or explicit assumption that legal systems and states are co-terminous. But since the Rome Treaty there has grown up in Europe a `new legal order', neither national law nor international law, and under its sway older conceptions of state sovereignty have been rendered obsolete. At the same time, it has been doubted whether the `European Union' that has grown out of the original `European Communities' has a satisfactory constitution or any constitution at all. What kind of legal and political entity is this `Union' and how does it relate juridically and politically to its member states? Further, the activity of construing or constructing `legal system' and legal knowledge becomes visibly problematic in this context. These essays wrestle with the above problems.

Introduction : the goal and structure of the book -- The legal regulation of the demilitarisation and neutralisation of the Åland islands -- The law of the sea and the demilitarisation of Åland -- Regional security co-operation and the Åland islands -- Outlook and conclusions

In 1999 the EU decided to develop its own military capacities for crisis management. This book brings together a group of experts to examine the consequences of this decision on Nordic policy establishments, as well as to shed new light on the defence and security issues that matter for Europe as a whole.

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