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Sweden and Finland are making a bid to join NATO in light of Russia’s war on Ukraine. While most countries are applauding the idea, one nation is not in favor of the move. Straight Arrow News contributor and geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan explains the Turks’ concerns and what it will take for them to green light the deal.
The Turks charge that there are a number of countries out there, including most notably Sweden, who have been providing too much assistance to groups the Turks don’t much care for.
The group in question are… the Kurdish militias that operate not just in Turkey, but specifically in Syria and who have been part of the Syrian Civil War now since its beginning.
The Turks say that as long as countries are funding or arming or politically supporting groups that are shooting at Turks, they can’t be considered allies. Now, while the big issue of the day remains Russia and the Ukraine war, the Turks have a point. It’s difficult to imagine countries being militarily allied with countries who are then working to undermine their own security. And in the NATO alliance, each individual country has full veto power over who can join. So if the Swedes and the Fins cannot have a heart-to-heart with Turks over what is possible and what is not possible, the Swedes will not get in.
What the Swedes and the Fins are discovering is that if you want to be part an alliance, you have to make your peace with everyone who is there already. And that encourages countries to see the world through the eyes of other places.
So my projection here is that the Swedes will abandon the Kurds and that the Turks will approve Swedish and Finish membership in NATO, but they’ve gotta have that conversation first.
