The Great Paradox of Swedish Neutrality in the Cold War and Today: Susanne Berger, War on the Rocks, Dec. 28, 2015 — For years now, political observers have struggled to properly assess Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy aims and ambitions. One large obstacle standing in the way of realistic analysis might be that today’s decision-makers have ever-weaker memories of the Soviet Union and the workings of the communist state system.
Putin’s Plan To ‘Annihilate’ Ukraine and Build Slavic Union | Angela Stent: Times Radio, YouTube, June 17, 2022 — Angela Stent, Former US National Intelligence Officer for Russia and Former Senior NATO Advisor who authored “Putin’s World: Russia Against The West And With The Rest.”
Lessons From a Decade of Talking to Putin: Adam O’Neal, WSJ, June 12, 2022
The View from Finland: ‘The Russian Garrisons Have Been Emptied. They Don’t Have Anything‘: Vazha Tavberidze, RFE/RL, May 26, 2022
NATO Allies Are Rethinking Russia’s Supposed Military Prowess: Robbie Gramer, Foreign Policy, June 7, 2022
Sweden: A History of Neutrality Ends after 200 Years: Owen Greene, The Conversation, May 26, 2022
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Poll Shows Near Even Split Among Ukrainians Over Joining NATO: RFE/RL, May 24, 2022 — A poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) shows that 39 percent of Ukrainians believe that joining NATO would guarantee the nation’s security, while 42 percent believe that in the current environment settling for security guarantees may be acceptable.
When Will NATO Really Help Ukraine?: Hans Petter Midtun, EuroMaiden Press, June 16, 2022 -NATO’s policy shift that happened on 24 February must be seen in the context of the defense support provided in the years leading up to the invasion — which was close to nothing. The support rendered since has been impressive, but not at all unprecedented.-
Turkey’s Threat to Block Sweden and Finland from Joining NATO Merely a Negotiating Ploy, Analysts Say: Eric Reguly, Globe and Mail, May 17, 2022 — NATO is facing a peculiar and unexpected assault – not from Russia’s Vladimir Putin but from Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Three Nations – One Mission. The New NATO in the North: Thomas Nilsen, The Barents Observer, June 3, 2022 — “The main objectives of this activity is to train planning and leadership of allied forces in the north, as well as to demonstrate NATO’s ability to conduct air power in a complicated scenario over large distances,” said Chief Communication officer with the Norwegian Air Force, Lt Col Stine Barclay Gaasland to the Barents Observer.
