The initial postulate of this research is that Estonia, a former Soviet country, and Finland are two states with a common context. They experience economic, political and military pressures from neighbouring Russia. However, the two states have different strategies for responding to this situation. Finland and Estonia share a common culture and a common history with Russia - although not a Soviet state, Finland has nevertheless experienced a strong influence from Moscow.
With this paradigm in mind, it is worth considering the causes that may explain the adoption of a different posture. What processes can trigger a different response to a common security problem? The assumption is that it is internal factors that manifest themselves in the response to the threat.
