Free Karelia is a key movement for the regionalist that caters to people’s interests by welcoming them all irrespective of their nationality.  The movement considers a Karelian to be any person who resides in its confines and considers the place as their motherland. Karelians ought to be interested in the independent and steady development of the region. Karelian movement enhances the notion of coming up with multiple forms of civil self-rule within the boundaries of the region and conserving its cultural identity. The Karelian movement ensures a social policy that is in line with the region’s constitution, the Russian Federation constitution, and the International law in its pursuit of independence.

Analysis

Karelian independence movement believes that the current model in which the localized Russian system controls its constituents is obsolete and hinders the region’s overall development. The movement objects how the Russian government accumulates Karelian resources and appoints leaders. Instead, the Karelian movement advocates for such a system that would allow its residents to be free to elect their leaders (Allen para.3). Karelians thus believe that such a system is a reflection of Soviet totalitarian that contributes to the region’s continued crisis and shifting borders. Such acts hinder Karelians from ever enjoying a unified homeland.

Karelian independence movement also aims to liberate the region’s resources such as diamond and iron. The natural resources have been a source of constant fights for centuries particularly between Swedes, Russians, and Finns. The central location of Karelia between Russia and Europe brings the residents a lot of suffering and strife (Korpela para.4). To terminate the skirmishes, the Karelian movement believes in the region’s declaration as a Republic but remains as part of the Russian Federation (Karjala para. 2). Such a move would become possible if democratic principles are put in place as accorded by international law and bring to an end how Karelia is treated as a mere Russian colony.

Evaluation

Karelian nationalists fight for the independence of their republic by raising harmful and unnecessary questions regarding extra state languages. However, the group is quite underestimated but it remains to be a threat due to its backing by the West (Goble para.2). Karelians seem to be embracing a process of desecuritization via fading. Karelia’s exteriority has proved to be some kind of a resource for a region to demonstrate post-Cold War credentials for the Europeans (Browning and Joenniemi para. 9). In such a situation, other than asserting notions of territorial sovereignty, the key emphasis has been to transform divisive borders to become unifying frontiers and exploring exclusionary politics (Goble para. 3). Karelian movement seems to be inclined towards separatism that receives financial back up from Finland.

Conclusion

Karelian movement seems to spark some conflict resolution that is quite relevant and interesting. Based on the Finnish perspective wrangles over Karelia have been endless due to its ontological significance. Karelia may not just become a part of Finland’s interest but may represent its significance in monetary terms. Independence for Karelia may help terminate the endless wars between Russia and Finland. The process of liberating Karelia has taken place in the form of two stages of desecuritization whereby after the second World war, it was initiated in the form of a dual process of silencing and rearticulation. Karelia will only become free if Russia ceases to view the movement as a form of radicalization.

Works Cited

Browning, S.C., and Joenniemi. Karelia as a Finnish-Russian Issue: Re-negotiating the Relationship between National Identity, Territory and Sovereignty. http://ceurus.ut.ee/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Browning-and-Joenniemi-2014.pdf. Accessed May 2014.

Goble Paul. UpNorth: Separatism In Karelia More Serious Than Many Think, Petrozavodsk Deputy Says. https://upnorth.eu/separatism-karelia-serious-many-think-petrozavodsk-deputy-says/. Accessed December 17, 2014.

Karjala Dapaa. Free Karelia. http://www.free-karelia.org/eng/About.aspx. Accessed December 2016.

Allen Daniel. Russian Karelia looks to the past and future. https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1723716/russian-karelia-looks-past-and-future. Accessed February 28, 2015.

Korpela Salla. Tracing Finland’s Eastern Border. https://finland.fi/life-society/tracing-finlands-eastern-border/. Accessed June 2008.