I enjoy the writing of Jay Nordlinger whose work appears at National Review. Often concerned with the arts, he writes today about something less esthetic and more visceral - defense, specifically the defense of long-neutral Sweden.
The Swedes, he reports, are taking seriously the less-than-neighborly behavior of Putin’s Russia. Crimea and eastern Ukraine have been wake-up calls along with Russian harassment of their Baltic neighbors Estonia and Latvia.
After remaining neutral through two world wars and the Cold War, Swedes are considering joining NATO, basically joining a side. Surveys show a plurality support it.
Given how far Sweden has let their military deteriorate, I’m not certain NATO would let them in absent a firm commitment to greatly increased spending and military staffing.
