Sweden joining NATO would crush Russian power

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This is a statue of King Charles XII in the middle of Stockholm. His left hand points east towards Russia, while his right hand holds a sword. The message is unmistakable. The king is warning his fellow Swedes of the perpetual danger coming from the Russians. Suffice to say, Russia plays a predominant role in Swedish strategic culture. So much so that the country has had a neutrality policy since 1812, going about its own business and staring clear of Russia.

In recent years, however, anxiety over Russian aggression has surged. The invasion of Ukraine has proven to be the final straw. Sweden and Finland now look to join NATO and become part of America's security umbrella. What's more, Sweden plans to increase defense spending by 40 percent and raise an additional 30,000 personnel in the army by 2025 The Swedes are also ordering new ships and submarines and reactivating former air and naval bases. The wheels are turning, and frankly, they have to. For those who do not move, don't notice their chains.

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Swedish neutrality goes back over a century, but it is a policy made possible by geography. While Denmark and Norway have historically looked west for growth, Finland has absorbed all the blows coming from the east. Yes, geography has been good to Sweden, but at the same time, less than one third of the country is hospitable. The north is covered by dense forests and mountains, making much of the region inaccessible. It has valuable mining sites, but other than that, it is sparsely populated. Further to the south is the demographic and industrial heart of Sweden. The belt from Gothenburg to Stockholm to Malmö is where most of Sweden's 10 million citizens live and work. And since the Swedish heartland is surrounded by sea, maritime trade with the European Union accounts for a great deal of Sweden's prosperity. Without that trade, Sweden would lose about 45% of its GDP. The Baltic Sea is one of the busiest waterways in the world, accounting for about 15% of the global maritime trade. The freedom of navigation is thus essential to the interests of all the riparian states. However, a good deal of shipping goes to and from Russia.