New military ‘map’ bolsters Nato

MUCH media time has been taken up in the last 16 months by the economic repercussions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the conflict has also redrawn the military map of Europe and beyond, a pressing issue ahead of the Nato annual leadership summit on July 11-12 which will be attended by key non-members, including Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, reflecting the growing calls for the alliance to be extended to the Asia Pacific.

The changing security map of recent times has included Finland’s incorporation into the North Atlantic alliance, and also the pending accession of Sweden. Moreover, Denmark (already a Nato member) also voted last year to end the three decade-old opt-out clause that previously kept it away from the EU common defence policy. These are huge changes for nations with a history of either wartime neutrality and/or staying out of military alliances.

In Northern Europe, Russia’s invasion has shattered a long-standing sense of stability, leaving not just Denmark, Sweden and Finland feeling vulnerable. The irony is that, rather than getting less Nato, President Vladimir Putin now has more Nato on his doorstep, including the 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) Finnish border with Russia.