Finland and Sweden Should Join NATO While They Still Can

The case of Ukraine clearly shows that staying out of NATO is not a safe option for European nations. Finland and Sweden have always opted to stay out of NATO for reasons of military strategy. An invasion of Finland and Sweden would essentially offer a detour and diversion for the Russian forces and would lengthen the front for Russia and could be described as a tactical distraction. However, if Finland and Sweden were to join NATO the reasoning goes, then Russia would be sure to attack them in the event of war between NATO and Russia. However, this entire calculus is premised on the assumption that NATO will come to the aid of Finland and Sweden were Russia to attack them anyway. Stockholm and Helsinki need to carefully consider whether Biden, who is unwilling to defend Ukraine, would come to the aid of Finland and Sweden? American foreign policy is no longer what it used to be and who knows whether Donald Trump would be willing to defend them after he most likely reenters the White House in January 2025? It is dangerous to base defense policy on vague assumptions and anyone who takes the United States for granted is surely mistaken, especially considering the radically shifting idiosyncratic foreign policies of every US president so far in the 21st century.