I have never been to Russia, but I have seen it. On one of many visits to Finland I stayed in a hotel next to a lake and my host pointed to the other side and told me: “that is Russia.” While it was not part of the extensive land border between Finland and Russia, it struck me that it would not take the Russians long to get across the lake. Now it strikes me that it would not take NATO forces long to get across to Russia.
Of course, there has been the inconvenience that Finland is—or was—neutral and not part of NATO. They had already repulsed superior Russian forces in the Winter War of 1939 and, despite deep seated suspicion of Russia, they preferred not to poke the bear. Nevertheless, Finland has long been prepared for a nuclear strike by Russia and now we are learning about the extensive system of nuclear bunkers beneath Helsinki which could accommodate the whole city. I already knew that rich Finns have their own well-stocked nuclear bunkers below their houses, many complete with sauna. So, it sounds like they’ll all be OK if Vladimir Putin decides he’s had enough of us in western Europe. The best most of us can do if Armageddon comes is to hide under our beds
But now Finland is saying it will, along with their neutral Scandinavian neighbours Sweden, apply to join NATO. The outcome is inevitable and has even been pre-empted by the inclusion of Finnish troops in Operation Hedgehog which is an avowedly anti-Russian manoeuvre and described as: “…one of the largest deployments since the Cold War, Britain’s government announced Friday it was sending 8,000 army troops across Europe from next month to participate in a slew of military exercises.” Not at all provocative then.
Anyone who points out that Russia feels threatened by NATO encroaching on its borders runs the risk of being labelled a swivel-eyed pro-Putin conspirator. But knowledgeable commentators such as Peter Hitchens repeatedly indicate, to apparently deaf ears, that Russia is not a strong military power. It has a very small economy and can no longer call on the countries of the former USSR to its aid. Far from it. Most have become mortal enemies. Blundering into Ukraine with the potential loss of thousands of troops was probably not the best response to Ukraine possibly joining NATO. But imagine if Ireland had joined the Warsaw Pact which was described as: “a mutual defense organization that put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of the member states.” I think we’d have been a bit worried and would have tried to put pressure on Ireland not to do it. Who knows, we may even have extended our invasion of Northern Ireland into the republic.
NATO claims to be an organisation of members states which purports to promote: “democratic values and enables members to consult and cooperate on defence and security-related issues to solve problems, build trust and, in the long run, prevent conflict.” If diplomatic efforts fail: “it has the power to undertake crisis-management operations.” The situation in Ukraine seems very much like a crisis that could have been averted. Instead, we are arming the Ukrainians to the teeth and allowing them to fight America’s war against Russia. Echoing the above description of the Warsaw Pact, NATO could fairly be described as: “a mutual defense organization that put the United States in command of the armed forces of the member states.” Perhaps Putin is right to be concerned.
Lead Correspondent | David Clews is the Lead Correspondent for UNN, with over 20 years of political/campaigning experience and a wealth of social media and communication skills David gets to the heart of what is really important to the real people of the UK.
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