After completing the course the students will be able to understand the impact of geopolitics, geographical factors and the military art on military operations in the northern boreal forest terrains.

The course discusses the reasons, courses of action and outcomes of the territorial border conflicts and disputes in the Finnish-Russian border areas, especially in Karelia, during the past centuries. The course sheds light on the geopolitical (strategic) interest of Russia and its predecessors in the territory of Finland and its linkages with military conquests. The course also introduces how different geographic factors influence the conduct of military operations in the forest regions of the European North. Furthermore, methods and techniques of warfare are examined.

The emphasis will be on the tactical and operational levels of war. Case studies for the Part I of the lectures are chosen from medieval, early modern and modern periods to illustrate various forms of low intensity conflicts in the Finnish-Russian border zones (raids, plunder, border disputes etc.). Part II of the course concentrates on the 20 th century, especially in the features of World War II in Karelia.

This course is divided into two parts. Part I is taught during the autumn and Part II in the spring. The students are required to keep course diaries (2 + 3 credits).

Teaching materials will be announced at the beginning of the lectures.

Pass/Fail

For the above-stated study mode(s), students must prove that they have achieved the required level of knowledge.

Senior Lecturer Pasi Tuunainen

Spring semester 2018

Joensuu campus

The course is taught in English The two parts can also be taken independently of each other.