STRAX
Transforming strategic cultures
in contemporary europe
About us
Transforming strategic cultures in contemporary Europe: Towards an understanding of reasons, intermediaries and processes of change (STRAX) is a research project with a novel take on analysing change in strategic cultures.
This research project takes the focus from national strategic cultures and their change to the overlap between strategic cultures in Europe, analysing the interrelations and mutual influence between them. Focusing on the impact of transnational epistemic communities, the research widens the academic lens to include exchange and evolution stemming from interaction and how these processes contribute to the development of a European strategic culture.
OUR TEAM
Dr Hanna Ojanen works at Tampere University as Research Director and is really happy to lead the STRAX consortium. Her research focuses on European security and defence, EU-NATO relations and the interface of national and collective strategic thinking.
Niklas Helwig is a Leading Researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and an Associate Professor in International Relations at Tampere University. His research focuses on the politics, strategies and institutions of the EU’s foreign and security policy. Previously, he worked at think tanks and universities in Brussels, Berlin and Washinton DC.
Professor Tommi Koivula has worked at the Finnish National Defence University since 2004. Before joining the Defence Forces he worked as a researcher at the University of Tampere, where he defended this doctoral thesis in international relations in 2004. Tommi’s current research areas include Finnish security policy and European security institutions.
Katariina Mustasilta is a Senior Research Fellow in the European Union and Strategic Competition programme at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. Her research focuses on countries’ internal conflicts, the EU’s external action in the realms of conflicts and threats to peace, and international conflict prevention and peace-building efforts. She holds a PhD from the University of Essex and has previously worked in various research institutes and public sector with peace and conflict issues.
Dr Antti Seppo studies and teaches strategic culture and IR theory and methodology at the Finnish National Defence University. In the Strax-project, Dr Seppo focuses on strategic culture theory and German strategic culture. His previous research includes EU-Russia relations, strategic culture and German foreign and security policy.
Anton Staffans is a doctoral researcher at Tampere University. His research focuses on the underlying strategic cultural dynamics of the UK’s Indo-Pacific security and defence policy as well as UK-Japan cooperation. Anton has six years of working experience from the Finnish Defence Forces and the Ministry of Defence.
ADVISORY BOARD
Dr Heiko Biehl
Chief Scientific Director
Acting Head of the Research Department
Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences
Dr Mai’a Keapuolani Davis Cross
Dean’s Professor of Political Science, International Affairs, and Diplomacy
Director of the Center for International Affairs & World Cultures
Northeastern University
Dr Fredrik Doeser
Associate Professor
Department for War Studies
Swedish Defense University
Olivier Yasar de France
Research Director
The French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs
Stipendiary Lecturer at Pembroke College
Oxford University
Dr Bastian Giegerich
Director-General and Chief Executive
The International Institute for Strategic Studies
Dr Barbara Kunz
Programme Director & Senior researcher
European security
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute