
What Are Sweden and Finland Thinking?
European leaders have reassessed Russia’s intentions and are balancing against the threat that Putin poses to the territorial status quo.

NATO Countries Begin Ushering Finland and Sweden Into the Fold
The U.K. and several Nordic countries have offered security guarantees to what could be NATO’s newest members.

Finns Show Up for Conscription. Russians Dodge It.
Two seemingly similar systems produce very different militaries.

Finland’s Foreign Minister on Why Helsinki Is Moving Toward NATO Now
Pekka Haavisto once spearheaded efforts to engage with Russia and broaden cooperation. Now he’s helping lead Finland toward NATO membership.

The NATO Accession Sweden Never Saw Coming
Finland has taken the lead, but its famously skeptical neighbor is following.

Is Weakening Russia a Bad Idea?
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s comments raise questions about Washington’s endgame in Ukraine.

‘Thanks, Putin’: Finnish and Swedish Lawmakers Aim for NATO Membership
Politicians who have long called for Finland and Sweden to join NATO seem poised to finally get their wish.

What Finland Can Offer NATO
The end of neutrality for a famously neutral country would be a blow to Putin and enhance the alliance’s intelligence capabilities.

How Finland Could Tilt the Balance Against Putin
Helsinki joining NATO is his worst nightmare—apart from losing Ukraine.

Putin Won’t Ever Let Ukraine Be Finland
Why a widely touted model for Ukrainian neutrality won’t work to stop a Russian invasion.

Russia Is Driving Sweden and Finland Closer to NATO
Moscow’s aggression may have permanently changed Nordic security debates.

Finland and Sweden Are Done With Deference to Russia
Even if the two Nordic countries don’t join NATO, they have signaled a new era in relations with Moscow.

The Negotiators Podcast: How A Finish Diplomat Negotiated the Release of Mothers and Children from Syria
Jussi Tanner spent nearly two years bargaining with the Kurdish-led autonomous government.

What Ukraine Can Learn From Finland
In December 1939, a small country with a small military held off the vastly superior Soviet Red Army and avoided occupation by its larger neighbor.

Scandinavia’s Horror Renaissance and the Global Appeal of ‘Fakelore’
“Midsommar” and “The Ritual” are steeped in Scandinavian folklore. Or are they?

Nordic Countries Aren’t Actually Socialist
Denmark, Norway, and Sweden shouldn’t be held up as socialist utopias.

‘Crazy Times Are Good Times for Journalists, Unfortunately’
A conversation with Anna-Sofia Berner, U.S. correspondent for Finland’s largest daily newspaper

Our Top Weekend Reads
Finland’s president carves a diplomatic niche, the coronavirus pandemic sounds alarm bells about genetic engineering, and Donald Trump seeks to actualize his dictatorial dreams.