Juha Saarinen
Juha Saarinen is a researcher focusing on violent Islamism and Middle Eastern politics. He currently works at the Finnish Middle East Consulting Group and the Centre for Research on Ethnic Relations and Nationalism at Helsinki University.
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Articles by Juha Saarinen
Jihad and Punishment: Repatriation and Criminal Accountability of Islamic State-Linked Women in the Nordic States
Following the prolonged detention of Islamic State (IS)-linked European citizens in al-Hol and similar camps in northeastern Syria from 2019 onwards, many countries have become more amenable to repatriation. This...
Finland Raises Terror Alert as Jihadist Scene Grows More Complex
Finland elevated its terrorism threat assessment for the second time in 18 months in November of 2015. According to the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (FSIS) the terrorist threat against Finland...
The Finnish Foreign Fighter Contingent in Syria and Iraq
By August 2015, at least 70 individuals from Finland had travelled to Syria and Iraq (Suomen Uutiset, July 30). [1] According to an Interior Ministry report from August 2014, the...
Tentative Steps Toward Deepening Defense Cooperation in the Baltic Region
In late December, the Swedish defense chief, General Sverker Göranson, stoked controversy by noting that Sweden would only be able to defend itself for a week without outside help (Svenska...
Finnish Leaders Emphasize Bilateral Cooperation and Good Relations with Russia
On August 20–23, Finland’s foreign policy establishment convened in Helsinki for the Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission. In addition to speeches by President Sauli Niinisto and Foreign Minister Erkki...