Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Alex Little
“As NATO commemorated its 75th anniversary this month, the direction of the alliance’s posture toward the Arctic region has been called into question. The recent accession of Sweden means that seven of eight of the world’s Arctic nations fall under NATO’s security umbrella, with Russia being the outlier. While some analysts see the addition of Sweden and Finland as an opportunity for NATO to ‘increase its footprint’ and ‘deter Russia,’ the last thing the alliance needs is to scour for another avenue for confrontation with Russia. Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership undoubtedly affects the alliance’s influence in the Arctic.” (04/18/24)