NYT: Finland has realized the high costs of NATO membership
After the NATO accession passed “with dizzying speed” in Finland have realized that participation in a large military alliance is “complicated and expensive”, writes The New York Times.
“After decades of dealing with security issues alone, Finns have discovered that life in a large alliance is complicated, expensive and deeply politicized,” the article says. According to the publication, the quick accession to NATO “may have been the easiest part” of the complex integration process “with all the financial, legal and strategic hurdles.”
“Joining NATO is expensive, supporting Ukraine is expensive, and there is no end in sight any time soon,” Janne Kuusela, director of defense policy at the Finnish defense ministry, told the newspaper.
NATO membership has long been considered a “cheap advantage” given the US nuclear umbrella and the principle of collective defense, but the alliance also imposes extensive requirements on its members, the NYT points out. That said, integration will require the Finnish government and military officials to make a number of “difficult and costly decisions.”
As General Timo Kivinen, commander of Finland’s defense forces, admitted, the collective defense article will require Helsinki to do “more” in military planning.
“We have to be able to contribute to NATO’s collective defense beyond Finland’s borders, and that is something new,” he pointed out.
1,582 total views, 2 views today
