Turkey Approves Finland’s NATO Membership Application
Jose Nino
|
On March 31, 2023, Turkey approved Finland’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership bid. In giving the green light to Finland, Turkey has put Finland on the path to become the 31st NATO member nation.
Initially, Turkey delayed Finland’s NATO membership application to join the military alliance on the grounds that Finland was providing shelter to organizations and individuals that the Turkish state deems as “terrorists.”
Sweden, which also applied to join NATO in May 2022, is also facing similar complaints from Turkey. To join NATO, a prospective member must receive support from all of its members.
Finland will be formally admitted into the Western military alliance at the next NATO summit set to take place in Lithuania in July. In adding Finland to NATO, the Western military alliance will now share a 832 mile border with Russia, which will increase the potential for a clash between the Collective West and Russia. We must not forget that NATO is centered around collective defense. Namely, an attack on a member NATO state is treated as an attack on all of them.
By joining NATO, Finland has abandoned its well-established foreign policy of neutrality that has served it well for seven decades. Sadly, foreign policy establishments across the Collective West are animated by neoconservative and neoliberal mindsets, thereby increasing the likelihood of tensions between it and Russia.
If we’re being cynical here, Finland could be used as a sacrificial lamb against Russia should NATO decide to throw down against Russia. That’s what happens when a country joins a military alliance headed by a duplicitous great power such as the United States that’s more concerned with bleeding out rivals like Russia no matter the costs.
The sad part is that the US will be comfortably watching a tragedy unfold across the pond as countries like Ukraine and potential NATO members like Finland function as de facto sacrificial lambs against Russia.
Share: