Analysis: NATO is scrambling to avoid a huge embarrassment
NATO officials are in a race against time to avoid the embarrassment of seeing the alliance miss its own stated aim of admitting Sweden into its ranks by July 11.
Both Sweden and its neighbor Finland stated their intent to join NATO through its open-door policy in May last year, just weeks after Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Finland was finally accepted in April of this year, doubling the alliance’s border with Russia, but Sweden’s accession is currently blocked.
It is generally accepted that Sweden’s armed forces are compatible with NATO. Sweden has a permanent delegation at NATO and is considered a close partner to the alliance, meaning joining should be relatively straightforward.
So why can’t Sweden join?
The problem is Turkey – a strategically important NATO member due to its geographical location in both the Middle East and Europe, and the alliance’s second-largest military power – which is blocking Sweden’s accession for a number of reasons.
First, Turkey claims that Sweden allows members of recognized Kurdish terror groups to operate in Sweden. Sweden changed its terrorism laws earlier this year, making it a crime to be part of these groups, though it’s still unclear if this is enough for Ankara.
Second, Turkey holds the Swedish government complicit in far-right protests where demonstrators burned copies of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
Finally, there are concerns at how willing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to describe himself as a friend of Putin’s. Shortly before his re-election last week, he told CNN that he and Putin share a “special relationship.”
NATO officials are becoming concerned that missing the July 11 deadline would send a dangerous message to the alliance’s adversaries.
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