ON MAY 16, 2022, Finland and Sweden decided to become members of NATO.

Not only is this totally against the 1991 US/NATO promise to then Russian president Gorbachev, that ‘NATO will not move an inch eastward from Berlin’. Then total NATO members were 14, two in the Americas — US and Canada — and 12 in Europe. By late 1990’s, expansion started rapidly and today NATO counts 30 members, 28 in Europe and the same two in the Americas. Most of the new ones are east of Berlin.

Finland shares a 1,340km border with Russia. Thus, as a NATO country, it would become another real threat for Moscow. Also, during WWII, Finland allied with Nazi-Germany fighting the Soviet Union, when the USSR lost some 27 million people, soldiers and civilians. Finland does not have a clean record vis-à-vis Russia.

On the other hand, Sweden shares no border with Russia and has not been at war with Russia in 300 years. Sweden, like Finland, has not been threatened at all by Russia. So, Sweden teaming up with Finland against Russia — there is something quite weird going on.  A country does not overnight seek or make an enemy when there was absolutely not a minimum threat from the ‘assumed’ enemy. What’s going on?

Given the circumstances of these two ‘neutral’ countries suddenly changing from ‘neutral’ to ‘aggressive’ against Russia, there must have other reasons than Russia attacking Ukraine. Both of these countries know exactly the background for the Russian war on Ukraine.

While war should, under all circumstances, be avoided and replaced by negotiations, one cannot ignore Russia’s worries — preoccupations enhanced by the fact that many proposals for negotiations advanced by Russia before the war were rejected by Ukraine’s president Zelenskyy. Likewise, after the beginning of the armed conflict, proposal for peace talks, notably by foreign minister Sergei Lavrov were, though first accepted, then rejected, which made Lavrov assume that Zelenskyy is not his sovereign own man, but follows instructions.

Could it be, or is it highly probable, that both Finland and Sweden were coerced by Washington, and likely by Europe/NATO to decide and ask for immediate NATO membership? Sweden, because of the North Sea, where Russia has a dominant presence?

The NATO Czar, Stoltenberg, has repeatedly said that NATO would apply special measures (or create special rules?) to accelerate NATO membership for these two countries. He reiterated on several occasions that by June 2022 Finland and Sweden could already be active members. Normally, it takes at least a year for a new NATO member to enter the alliance. So, what’s the hurry, if there is no threat?

Before the Ukraine-Russia war, and before the billion-dollars-worth of western anti-Russia campaign, only about a third, maximum 40 per cent of the people of both countries, were somewhat favourable towards NATO — a clear minority.

After the beginning of the war, and the utterly distorted anti-Russia lie-propaganda campaign, the popular support for NATO-entry allegedly jumped to about 70 per cent. Yet, this figure advanced by the two NATO-candidate countries, would have to be scientifically verified as both nations have a highly educated population. They know the risks they are taking by becoming de facto enemies of Russia by NATO membership.

Ukraine was a candidate for NATO long before the 2014 Maidan Coup. In fact, the Maidan Coup was an instrument to accelerate Ukraine’s NATO membership. Russia — president Putin — from the very beginning said Nyet to Ukraine NATO membership. Not only was he referring to the 1991 promise, but also to the Minsk Agreement of 2014.

After the US planned and directed the Maidan Coup in Kiev, the Minsk Protocol was negotiated by France and Germany. Under the Minsk Accord, Ukraine was to remain neutral, de-militarised, no NATO ever. The Protocol also demanded a de-Nazification of Ukraine, as well as a special status for the two Donbass Republics — Donetsk and Lugansk.

De-Nazification refers primarily to the Nazi Azov Battalion(s) that were, for the last eight years, lambasting and attacking mostly civilians in the two ‘independent’ Donbass Republics, causing some 14,000 deaths, about one third of which are children.

Russia — president Putin and most of the Kremlin — are particularly sensitive to the Ukraine Nazis, as they collaborated with Hitler’s Nazi-Germany in WWII in the war against Russia, when some 27 million Russians were killed. NATO knows about it. Therefore NATO, under the guidance of Washington and followed by Brussels, kept — and keeps — provoking Russia with first sending military ‘advisers’ and clandestinely weapons to Ukraine. For NATO countries a key objective is to conquer Russia — primarily for her riches in natural resources, as well as the enormous landmass, the globe’s largest country — and for the power the dominance of large and rich Russia would bestow in this sick western personal and corporate oligarchy.

In the preparation of the war, weapons were relatively clandestinely delivered from the west to Ukraine. Now, weapon deliveries from the US and from European NATO countries in the tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars-worth equivalent, are fully open. No secret. Not even hidden anymore. NATO countries feel they have the right to indirectly use Ukraine to fight Russia.

But what is right?

THE last two years, at least, were exacerbated by the fake WEF (World Economic Forum)-imposed Covid scare — lockdown, killing of the world economy, killing of common people’s livelihood, killing of children’s future – reflected in the skyrocketing teenager suicide rate and more untold misery, all of which eradicated the human notion of rights and wrongs.

During this period, international rule of law has completely disappeared. Nobody respects it anymore. The judges of the International Criminal Court of the Hague, so far have not accepted any claim that goes against the interests of the cabal, mostly Anglo Saxon-led westerners – plus the insanely wealthy financial corporations — BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street and Fidelity.

But now comes the hick. Just a little detail. According to Article 10 of the NATO Constitution, all 30 members of the Alliance have to agree to a new member.

Turkey, a key NATO member, in a particularly strategic geographic and geopolitical position — opposes entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO. And this under the pretext, according to Turkish president Erdogan, that ‘the two Nordic countries are ‘guesthouses for terrorist organisations.’ He [Erdogan] was referring to the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front, which have been outlawed by Ankara’.

‘These countries do not have a clear unequivocal stance against terrorist organisations. Sweden is the incubation centre of terrorist organisations. They bring terrorists to talk in their parliaments… We wouldn’t say “yes” to them joining NATO, a security organisation… They were going to come on Monday to convince us.  Sorry, they don’t have to bother,’ Erdogan said.

The Swedish foreign ministry said on May 16, 2022 that senior official from Helsinki and Stockholm would travel to Turkey to discuss the matter. Erdogan, however, indicated at the press briefing that such talks would be senseless.

Turkey may be a NATO country, one of the most important ones for the Alliance, due to its geographically strategic location and position. However, Turkey is also an ally of Russia. And in recent months, years, Erdogan has been tilting more to Russia, to the east in general, than to the west, towards her western NATO allies. Has Erdogan noticed how unreliable and deceptive and trickery the West/NATO is and behaves around the world? It’s very likely.

Anticipating such a move, Jens Stoltenberg had already said days ago, that if Turkey, or any other NATO member, would oppose entry of Finland and Sweden into the Alliance, NATO would apply special measures to overrule NATO’s Article 10. He did not elaborate what measures he would apply.

But in a world without rules, everything is possible.

When in 2017, Turkish president Recep Erdogan brokered a deal reportedly worth $2.5 billion with Russian president Vladimir Putin for the purchase of the highly sophisticated Russian S-400 air defence system, there was talk of Turkey possibly exiting the Alliance. Indeed, Turkey has been ‘sanctioned’ for doing so, and many, if not all, of the nuclear war-heads stationed in Turkey were removed and placed in Europe, most of them in Italy.

Might this be again a moment for Turkey to say and, indeed, decide to exit NATO and seek closer alliance with Russia and China — and the east in general? The Eurasian Economic Commission might welcome a strategic Turkey in its fold. For Turkey, it is quite a positive alternative option to the constant threats and sanctions by the west.

Would NATO fall apart, if Turkey decided to leave? Good riddance! It would be a blessing for the world.

DissidentVoice.org, May 18. Peter Koenig is a geopolitical analyst and a former senior economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organisation. He is the author of Implosion — An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed.