Why Finland Didn’t Need NATO For 75 Years

And why they feel like they need them now

Akseli Gallen-Kallela, The Defense of the Sampo, 1896, Turku Art Museum

In early 2022, in the wake of Russia’s shocking invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Finland applied to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This broke a long tradition of Finland being an independent military power in Europe. Since the end of World War II, Finland has hosted a large and independent…