News Excerpt:
Recently, Sweden formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality as concerns about Russian aggression in Europe have spiked following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Sweden’s position regarding NATO:
- Sweden's neutrality began as a response to catastrophic wars - mainly against Russia - in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and its policies have always been a mix of principle and pragmatism.
- It supplied Nazi Germany with vital iron ore during World War II and, during the Cold War, secretly exchanged intelligence with the United States.
- In recent decades, Sweden has leaned closer to NATO - in part because its own military was slashed after the collapse of the Soviet Union - and has contributed to missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Libya and Iraq.
- Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 left Swedes with a pivotal choice: join NATO or run the risk of standing alone against an increasingly aggressive near neighbour.
About the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):
- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.
- The alliance members include the 12 founding countries of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.
- Greece and Türkey joined in 1952; Germany in 1955; Spain in 1982; Czechia, Hungary and Poland in 1999; Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia joined in 2004; Albania and Croatia in 2009; Montenegro in 2017; North Macedonia in 2020; Finland in 2023 and finally Sweden in 2024.
- NATO's Article 5 guarantees that an attack on any member is considered an attack on all.
