For many, many decades now, the politicians of the world have depended on the political neutrality of Sweden and Finland as most of the rest of Europe took sides during the years of the Cold War and afterward, joining NATO or remaining within the former Soviet sphere of influence.
But this balance may be changing forever after the Russian invasion of the “common European homeland” so lovingly referred to by Mikhail Gorbachev, the former General Secretary of the Communist party of the USSR, has shaken the continent to its core.
Russia’s invasion into the heartland of Europe has created a sea change in how these traditionally neutral countries, which have long prided themselves on being apart from the fray of international alliances and the tensions that can arise from them — will face a future in which open warfare has broken out on the continent.
Sweden and Finland may be at cusp of a sea change in policy
Now, the support for joining the NATO alliance has surged to record levels, according to polls taken in these Nordic countries.