Many were surprised by the Swedish rush to join NATO, which took place without a referendum or in-depth debate. Why now, one wonders?
NATO was formed as a defence alliance against the Soviet Union during the Cold War, when Sweden was not a member, nor was Finland. Was there no reason to think about defence alliances after the Second World War? After all, the Soviet Union was then a bigger potential threat than today’s Russia, having annexed half of Europe and working together with socialist nations around the world. Including Cuba, which is only a few miles from the US coast.
Why didn’t we join NATO back then? When the world was divided, and the nuclear threat was a grim reality?
Instead, we joined the Western Defence Alliance when it was all over. When it was no longer needed, when the US role as the leading defence force and world policeman was coming to an end. That’s when we joined.
But wait a minute, people are muttering from all sides. We have Ukraine, the Russians have unprovokedly attacked Ukraine, and soon they will be marching across Europe. We must stick together and stop Putin.
The uncomfortable truth is that there never would have been a war in Ukraine if the US had kept its hands off. Western powers encouraged the 2014 unrest that led to the ousting of the elected president, and the country became more ‘Western-friendly’. This was followed by several peace negotiations and agreements, and had they been honoured, we would not be at war today.
A war that could easily have been cancelled at the desk is not a real war. It is initiated and fuelled by people who make money from the conflict. And wars need cannon fodder, therefore more members are constantly required. Now, I don’t think Putin will attack Sweden, but on the other hand, our unintelligent politicians may get it into their heads to send Swedish youths to the war zone in Ukraine or to other pointless conflicts around the world. And, yes, I say pointless; does anyone today think that Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya or Syria were meaningful wars? Worth the lives of so many men and women? Hardly. People don’t even remember what they were fighting for. Who wants to die for Biden and his cronies? And not for Putin either. Soon Ukraine will be added to the list of senseless wars, and we will forget, just as we forgot all the other ones.
In light of this; the Swedish elite that ran the country after WWII knew they couldn’t pick sides, that neutrality was best, because both sides were equally bad regarding conflicts on the global stage.
Build a decent defence. Make sure you stay on good terms with both sides. It’s an old recipe for success.
