- Prelims: Current events of international importance, NATO, EU etc
- Mains GS Paper II: Bilateral, regional and global grouping involving India and affecting India’s interests etc
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- On April 4, 2023, Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), becoming its 31st member.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):
- Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
- It is a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of April, 1949, by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.
- There are currently 30 member states(Finland 31st).
- NATO’s essential and enduring purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members by political and military means.
- NATO has an integrated military command structure but very few forces or assets are exclusively its own.
Significance of Joining NATO:
- NATO security guarantees will extend to this country which shares a border with Russia.
- NATO Secretary-General:“Finland is safer, and NATO is stronger with Finland as an ally.”
Other Countries who Joined NATO before Finland:
- Norway (1949)
- Latvia (2004)
- Estonia (2004)
- Poland (1999)
- Lithuania (2004)
History of Finland and Russia:
- In 1809, the Russian Tsar Alexander-I defeated Sweden, acquired Finland, and made it an autonomous Grand Duchy of the Russian empire.
- In 1917, the collapse of the Tsarist regime and the Bolshevik Revolution paved the way for the full independence of Finland’.
- Between the two world wars, the Finns felt less threatened by Germany than by Russia, even during the era of the Third Reich.
- In October 1939, Stalin proposed a revision of the Finnish-Russian border — where Peter the Great’s frontier had been laid out in 1721.
- A month later, the Soviet Union attacked Finland, employing fraudulent pretexts and justifications.
- The Winter War of 1939-1940: Finns lost important portions of their territory but retained their independence’.
- The war between the (erstwhile) Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Finland resumed in 1941, supported by the Finnish alliance with the Third Reich.
- Finland had been defeated but was able to avert enemy occupation.
- Skilful diplomacy and pragmatism of Juho Kusti Paasikivi, Finnish President in 1946-1956, Finland saved itself from the spread of communist ideology.
- In 1948, the Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance was signed between the USSR and Finland, outlining ‘Finland’s desire to stay outside the conflicts of interests between the great powers’.
- This came to be known as Finland’s ‘neutrality’.
Finland and NATO:
- The cooperation between Finland and NATO began as early as in 1994 with the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme.
- Finland had the status of an ‘Enhanced Opportunity Partner’ and contributed in a significant manner to the NATO-led operations in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq.
- Finnish system of conscription has generated ‘sufficient resources for the army, navy and air force to act effectively in a war situation’.
- Constitution of Finland, every Finnish citizen is obligated to participate in national defense.
- Prior to its NATO’s membership, Finland had already been preparing to defend itself against possible aggression.
Consequences:
- Finland will receive additional security guarantees from NATO, which are specified in Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty.
- Article 5: It ‘binds the members together, committing them to protect each other and setting a spirit of solidarity within the alliance’.
- Conventional deterrence’(Professor John Mearsheimer(1983): It is ‘an attempt to persuade an adversary not to initiate a war because the expected costs and risks outweigh the anticipated benefits’.
Way Forward
- NATO and Russia should search for ways out of the constant cycle of implementing ‘measures’ and imposing ‘countermeasures’.
- ‘security dilemma’ has been unfolding, whereby Russia and the West have been enhancing their security and creating a more precarious environment altogether.
- Russia and NATO should exercise cautious behavior vis-à-vis the other.
- The Russian government expressed its concerns over ‘potential weapons systems and infrastructure, which could be deployed right next to its borders’.
- Neither Finland nor Russia would wish to see an escalation in their relations.
- The newly elected center-right government in Finland should not exaggerate the potential threats from Russia but engage in bilateral dialogue, trying to understand the other’s security concerns.
- There should be at least some NATO members who would be willing to rely more on diplomatic tools and ‘lower the temperatures’.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
What introduces friction into the ties between India and the United States is that Washington is still unable to find for India a position in its global strategy, which would satisfy India’s National self- esteem and ambitions” Explain with suitable examples.(UPSC 2019) (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
