Why Finland and Sweden Can Join NATO with Unprecedented Speed

Anna Wieslander and Christopher Skaluba
Introduction:
By now, it’s no secret: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has triggered militarily non-aligned Finland and Sweden to reconsider their national security strategies. Thursday’s news that Finnish leaders want their country to join NATO “without delay” will likely be followed by a similar decision by Sweden.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly said both are NATO’s “closest partners” and supports a fast-tracked accession—taking place over a matter of weeks, not months or years as for previous new members.
To that end, the two countries’ candidacies will look vastly different than anything since the end of the Cold War, thanks to the substance of their cases for membership and the context in which they will likely come about. This will probably happen on a much-expedited timeline.
The sixteen new members since the fall of the Berlin Wall all followed a predictable course: After signaling their intention to join NATO, the Alliance set up a Membership Action Plan (MAP) laying out the political, economic, and military reforms needed to meet NATO standards.
You can read the full article on the Atlantic Council’s website.
Related Publications
-
Quad Plus and Indo-Pacific: The Changing Profile of International Relations
This book explores how the Quad Plus mechanism is set to reshape the global multilateral economic and security co-operations between Quad partner countries and the rest of the world. With […]
-
Japan’s New Diplomatic Bluebook: Revised by the Russia-Ukraine War
Introduction: On April 22, Japan’s latest Diplomatic Bluebook, an annual diplomatic report published by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), was reported to a cabinet meeting of the Kishida administration. […]
-
India’s Stance on the ‘Asian NATO’: Between ‘Status’ and ‘Security’ Dilemmas
Introduction: ‘Security’ and ‘status’ complexities are critical impediments for any state’s foreign policy; and India is no different. This article argues that as the China threat looms large, New Delhi […]
-
North Korea Is Joining China and Russia in Confronting the US
Introduction: The US is currently facing challenges from its adversaries in Northeast Asia: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s military build-up on the Taiwan Strait and the Democratic People’s Republic of […]
-
North Korea Is Preparing to Confront the US in 2022
Introduction: Since Pyongyang rejected the Biden administration’s proposal of diplomatic talks as insufficient to entice Kim Jong Un back to the negotiating table, North Korea seems to have recalibrated its […]
-
AUKUS: Resetting European Thinking on Indo-Pacific?
This special publication brings together a number of experts from Europe and Asia to discuss the implications of AUKUS for Europe. The AUKUS is a critical geopolitical development. It has […]