Like Scandinavian Sweden, the country has given up decades of neutrality to seek entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a USled military alliance. Oliver Stuenkel, Professor of International Relations, explains in an interview with Renata Lo Prete that the movement reveals a changed costbenefit calculation: the fear of aggression began to overcome the desire to avoid a legal dispute with neighboring Russia. “Until recently, neutrality was not only part of the foreign policy of these two countries, but also an element of their political identity,” he says. For Stünkel, the western powers are “moving up and preparing for permanent tension between Europe and Russia.” “And something similar could happen later in relation to China,” the analyst adds, adding that neither side in the Ukraine war will back down: ” The most likely scenario remains a gridlock that could last for years.”
What you need to know:
Podcast The Subject is produced by: Mônica Mariotti, Isabel Seta, Tiago Aguiar, Gabriel de Campos, Luiz Felipe Silva, Thiago Kaczuroski, Gustavo Honório and Eto Osclighter. Presentation: Renata Lo Prete.