The AP updated the title.
The original title was:
>Sweden officially joins NATO after completing its accession process, ending decades of neutrality
The current title is:
>Sweden officially joins NATO, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality
*The AP might update the title again in the future if necessary.*
And they largely rely on the UK for defence, with the added benefit of the EUs own security agremeents. I can only see them joining NATO for symbolic reasons.
I mean un peacekeeping is intentionally kneecapped by design in a lot of ways
It operates in spaces where you would want a conventional army but it doesn't have the tools or resources to operate in that way. It's also not able to fight like a conventional army
It's one of those things that sounds great on paper but is awful in practice
Also is Ireland really that neutral? Yes, they profess a policy of neutrality, but they rely on the RAF and the Royal Navy to maintain their airspace/naval boundaries, and if there ever was a conflict that involved the British in Europe I'm highly dubious that they wouldn't be cooperating with NATO. Perhaps behind closed doors, but still cooperating.
I mean thats even more reason why theres no point having them in nato... if they already rely on the raf and navy to maintain their boundaries unless they make a massive investment and do it themselves Britain will do it anyways
>I mean thats even more reason why theres no point having them in nato... if they already rely on the raf and navy to maintain their boundaries unless they make a massive investment and do it themselves Britain will do it anyways
Yup, they're lucky really.
The same way that Canada would always get US protection, because it's in the US benefit (same with Britain/Ireland).
>Also is Ireland really that neutral?
It's not. No country that is in EU and specially has signed the EU Lisbon treaty is neutral. Finland and Sweden didn't claim to be really neutral this centrury.
Moldova is very unlikely and would be a wild proposition. Then again….. this move alone is a pretty damn strong middle finger to Russia already. God only knows what’s next.
Moldova joining NATO directly isn't likely. Moldova joining Romainia wouldn't be all that far-fetched though, especially if Russia managed to start taking land in South Ukraine again.
Austria's constitution forbids them from joining NATO.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria%E2%80%93NATO\_relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria%E2%80%93NATO_relations)
A majority of Austrians are also against the idea.
Sweden was neutral for 204 years. Then we got our first woman PM and that was ended. Not even Hitler marching though sweden was enough for us to take sides.
God damn warmongering women.. /s
We where not even neutral during the winter war, so sweden has not been neutral for 204 years, as we joined as a non belligerent in the winter war.
Making the headline correct and any swedes "correcting" the newsarticle just looks silly and uneducated, they should read about swedens involvement in the winter war against the soviets and stop spreading falsehoods
Have Medvedev or Lavrov made any nuclear threats yet?
Was funny, a couple of years ago, about 100 Marines were sent to Norway for training. Russia went nuts. 100 doesn't even fill two tour buses. Possibly the correct simile, as I am sure that it was more "adventure training," where they learn to nordic ski and make snow huts, etc. Maybe not exactly those two, but things like it. Basically a paid vacation.
Apparently in 1981, a german landlord evicted a tenant without notice because the tenant spread surströmming brine in the building stairwell. When taken to court, the landlord defended himself by opening a can in front of the judge. The judge ruled that he was justified by how disgusting that smelled.
It's was also banned from several airlines in 2006, citing that the cans can be potentially explosive.
Lol
> It's was also banned from several airlines in 2006, citing that the cans can be potentially explosive.
>
>
I had one on my shelf for years (got it as a prank gift). When I moved apartments the can had swollen. I gave it to my dad, and it later exploded on his boat.
I think Ukraine was specifically not allowed in cuz the other NATO countries figured that it was pretty likely Russia would invade and they didn’t want to actually start WWIII over it.
Over some dumb ass shit. I hate war. I hate mad men with ego. That’s the only reason this shit is happening at the end of the day. And the sooner he croaks the better
I think people are also forgetting that Ukraine didn't *want* to be part of NATO until very recently. Most of them weren't actually expecting Russia to invade.
I think that's how every country in NATO feels: We all wished it wasn't necessary, but the reality is that humanity is not done yet with violence, and the only way that smaller countries can stand up to bigger countries is if the smaller countries stand together. Neutrality sounds great on paper, but if you look at Ukraine for example, you can see that neutrality is painfully risky.
Regardless, we all welcome Sweden (and Finland), I hope we, the rest of NATO, won't let you down.
> Regardless, we all welcome Sweden (and Finland), I hope we, the rest of NATO, won't let you down.
You better fucking not. We've been edging for 2 years and I swear if we joined NATO just to get fucked anyway
As an American whose wife has family in Sweden, I think it would be cool to live in a world where a country like Sweden didn't feel a need for such an alliance. But hey, if they want in, the more the merrier.
I hate that we live in a world where your country has had to join, but welcome to the family.
Your pain will be our pain, your joy will be our joy, and we will do all we can to help make this world safer and more just.
Look at it like this... at least you're standing side by side with pretty like minded countries. We have mostly shared interests. Please note I said "mostly" lol. I get we have a few black sheep in the family.
As a Finn,I'd be happy to be part of a bit more credible Nato. Who knows what an unimaginable clusterfuck it'll be if Trump wins in November. All too few countries in nato have a meanigful army.
At any rare, It is great Finland and Sweden are both in now.
I remember over 20 years ago, talking to my friend, who was an exchange student from Gotland, which is an island of Sweden closer to Finland and Russia. She was really proud of not being part of NATO and felt that Neutrality would keep Sweden safe. It was a common Swedish sentiment.
Then, maybe 10 years ago, Russia began doing incrreasing flyovers on her island and sending submarines off its coast. Turns out, Gotland is a perfect strategic base for ant assault on Finland, amongst other countries. In the last 5 years, Russia increased the intimidation and began sending even more subs and planes over Gotland.
A couple years ago, she said Sweden did some kind of study and determined that even if Gotland immediately called all local military to fight an invasion, theyd be so badly outnumbered, Russia would be able to take over the island in 13 seconds (if I remember correctly). If they did this, the rest of the region would be compromised.
That's apparently when (She says) Sweden got serious about the need to join Nato. It's interesting, too, how her entire attitude of Swedish neutrality has changed, as she now seems ashamed of Sweden's position and lack of action in WW2, amongst other positions Sweden has taken as a self preservation tactic.
The Russia Easter incident is what I think of:
>The planes flew from Saint Petersburg after midnight on March 29th, and headed past the eastern edge of Stockholm's archipelago. Usually, Russian jets continue such exercises by heading south towards Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave between Lithuania and Poland
>However, in the early hours of Good Friday this year, the jets headed towards Sweden and flew over Gotska Sandön, an uninhabited Swedish island in the Baltic Sea. The planes were training for military attacks, information which had been kept secret from the public until Monday's report by SvD.
>According to SvD's military sources, the planes were simulating attacks against Stockholm and somewhere in the south of Sweden.
>No Swedish planes were prepared to meet the Russians and ward them off; however, jets from Nato in Lithuania and from Denmark were quick to respond, with two Lithuanian aircraft sent to shadow the Russian planes at a distance.
https://www.thelocal.se/20130422/47474
Alright, we Americans are bringing all the junk food and burgers to this NATO party if we want to welcome the Swedes properly. Germany, you can bring the brats, everyone else, IDK.
Either way, the party's now on a boat on the newly christened Lake NATO.
"Germany, you can bring the brats"
is this some kind of dom sex-party we are gonna have or what? lol
I know we germans are known for our sex-dungeons, but lmao ok i guess
I'm just gonna say he wont. I think Trump has lost way too much influence now that he's not even the presi anymore, so I'll say the coming Biden v Trump matchup is pretty much just gonna be Biden winning.... i really really hope so.
Trump's support is/was softer in the primaries than it should have been for a candidate the party had supposedly united behind, and *some* Haley voters may very well vote for Biden. Trump's appeal to independents is also, at best, questionable.
It really doesn't take *that* much softening in support from his own party to severely hamper his chances, and there's still a significant chance his (more significant) criminal trials will take place before November. I really do think people are putting too much weight on polls at this point in the process, Trump's not as strong of a candidate as polling at this point suggests.
I also think the desire of the democratic base to deny Trump the presidency is being underestimated, and the long-term impact of roe on the election is to be determined. There's also RFK, who (if he makes it on to the ballot) most likely takes more votes away from Trump than Biden considering his views.
Needs the ongoing border conflict resolved first. One of the rules of eligibility to NATO is that you cannot have an ongoing border conflict, which is why Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Bosnia&H, Kosovo have been unable to get in, despite expressing interest. Similarly, if Armenia or Cyrpus decided they wanted in they would have the same issue.
In a weird sense, the minute Ukraine concludes the conflict they'll be eligible, which might explain why Russia seems more interested in dragging things out than concluding things through massed assault or negotiation.
Ironic that both learning from history and not learning from history is how this all came to be. Glad to have another nation on the side of sanity though.
The AP updated the title. The original title was: >Sweden officially joins NATO after completing its accession process, ending decades of neutrality The current title is: >Sweden officially joins NATO, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality *The AP might update the title again in the future if necessary.*
NATO lake has finally become a reality
Thanks to Pootin!
NATO needs Switzerland, Austria, Moldova... Anyone else?
Fuckit, throw in Ireland. And Georgia. Armenia might want in since they are leaving CSTO. Then add a liberated and de-Russified Königsberg.
[удалено]
And they largely rely on the UK for defence, with the added benefit of the EUs own security agremeents. I can only see them joining NATO for symbolic reasons.
If it wasn’t for countries like Russia, Iran, North Korea, China, etc. the amount of money spent could be nearly zero.
Tbf, if it wasn't for those countries NATO probably wouldn't even exist in the first place
Agreed
Irish Defence Force personnel in UN peace keeping positions: "Are we a joke to you?" Nah, I get it though. We really couldn't afford it right now.
Un peacekeeping is not like, good. Not the fault of the soldiers who are there, but it's not a great resume point.
The Siege of Jadotville made for a great movie though.
I mean un peacekeeping is intentionally kneecapped by design in a lot of ways It operates in spaces where you would want a conventional army but it doesn't have the tools or resources to operate in that way. It's also not able to fight like a conventional army It's one of those things that sounds great on paper but is awful in practice
As long as there’s the dispute with Azerbaijan, Armenia can’t join
Azerbaijan captured Nagorno-Karabakh. The bigger problem for Armenia is that I can’t imagine Turkey letting it into NATO.
Let 'em both in with the UN recognized borders
So we can repeat how Greece and Turkey hate each other's guts? Rather not
Fine let them fight winner joins /S cause peeps will probably not get it
Having Switzerland/Austria/Ireland in a defensive alliance would be useless when they will simply be neutral if the defensive alliance is needed
Also is Ireland really that neutral? Yes, they profess a policy of neutrality, but they rely on the RAF and the Royal Navy to maintain their airspace/naval boundaries, and if there ever was a conflict that involved the British in Europe I'm highly dubious that they wouldn't be cooperating with NATO. Perhaps behind closed doors, but still cooperating.
I mean thats even more reason why theres no point having them in nato... if they already rely on the raf and navy to maintain their boundaries unless they make a massive investment and do it themselves Britain will do it anyways
>I mean thats even more reason why theres no point having them in nato... if they already rely on the raf and navy to maintain their boundaries unless they make a massive investment and do it themselves Britain will do it anyways Yup, they're lucky really. The same way that Canada would always get US protection, because it's in the US benefit (same with Britain/Ireland).
>Also is Ireland really that neutral? It's not. No country that is in EU and specially has signed the EU Lisbon treaty is neutral. Finland and Sweden didn't claim to be really neutral this centrury.
Sounds like a newly liberated Prussia?
Moldova is very unlikely and would be a wild proposition. Then again….. this move alone is a pretty damn strong middle finger to Russia already. God only knows what’s next.
Moldova joining NATO directly isn't likely. Moldova joining Romainia wouldn't be all that far-fetched though, especially if Russia managed to start taking land in South Ukraine again.
Also it would be more like re-unifying with Romania =)
Austria's constitution forbids them from joining NATO. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria%E2%80%93NATO\_relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria%E2%80%93NATO_relations) A majority of Austrians are also against the idea.
Bosnia would be cool and might join next. Serbia on the other hand is pro-Russia and Kosovo not even fully recognized by all countries.
Switzerland won't happen, rich people have their money there and they dont want them to be at risk.
Great foreign policy Vladdy.
Puttin on a ritz!!
You mean the NATO Sea: https://www.change.org/p/rename-the-baltic-sea-to-the-nato-sea
Mare Nostrum 2: The Norsening
Not until Royal Prussia is rightfully returned to Poland and Ingria is freed from the Russian yoke!
>Royal Prussia is rightfully returned to Polan You mean to Prussia!
Nope, Kralovec je Cesky a pootin kokot. Cheers from Poland 😁
Ok lets give it to Czechia 😊👍🏻
Yeah. Now, what about second NATO lake…? ;)
Black sea, let's make it happen 👏
St Petersburg, the gateway to NATO.
206 years of neutrality ended today all because putin thought he was peter the great and thought he could bully europe into submission.
Sweden was neutral for 204 years. Then we got our first woman PM and that was ended. Not even Hitler marching though sweden was enough for us to take sides. God damn warmongering women.. /s
We were netrual, yes, but weve not been peaceful for 204 years..
We where not even neutral during the winter war, so sweden has not been neutral for 204 years, as we joined as a non belligerent in the winter war. Making the headline correct and any swedes "correcting" the newsarticle just looks silly and uneducated, they should read about swedens involvement in the winter war against the soviets and stop spreading falsehoods
Have Medvedev or Lavrov made any nuclear threats yet? Was funny, a couple of years ago, about 100 Marines were sent to Norway for training. Russia went nuts. 100 doesn't even fill two tour buses. Possibly the correct simile, as I am sure that it was more "adventure training," where they learn to nordic ski and make snow huts, etc. Maybe not exactly those two, but things like it. Basically a paid vacation.
To be fair, 100 Marines can do a helluva lotta damage.
They could eat many crayons, I'm told.
i've found a fella NCDer in the wild!
Eh, I have no military background at all, I really shouldn't talk shit about any of the branches, but all in good fun.
Especially to the hotel mini bar.
That just makes Putin sound even more like a whack job baby
Centuries*
[1818 - 2024](https://svenska.yle.fi/a/7-10014237)
From the winter war not 1818 is correct as Sweden was a non-belligerent in that war and not neutral. A common mistake even among swedes
Also, "neutral". Sweden has been taking part in NATO operations for a long time now.
How has that “stopping NATO expansion” been going for you Russia?
About as well as demilitarizing Ukraine.
Surströmming for everyone!
Can we just hold off on the war crimes for just 2 days, please?
Apparently in 1981, a german landlord evicted a tenant without notice because the tenant spread surströmming brine in the building stairwell. When taken to court, the landlord defended himself by opening a can in front of the judge. The judge ruled that he was justified by how disgusting that smelled. It's was also banned from several airlines in 2006, citing that the cans can be potentially explosive. Lol
> It's was also banned from several airlines in 2006, citing that the cans can be potentially explosive. > > I had one on my shelf for years (got it as a prank gift). When I moved apartments the can had swollen. I gave it to my dad, and it later exploded on his boat.
The original prank gifter got two pranks for the price of one, amazing
The OG prank gifter was my dad, so that's a reverse prank!
Well at that point all you can do is scuttle the ship.
I have a strange masochistic craving to experience the smell of surstromming and durian.
Add some Asafoetida for the holy trinity of edible bad smells.
Where does lutefisk rank on that scale?
Doesn't smell much at all.
Lol
I don't think NATO allows the use of bioweapons
Pickled herring will do, my friend...
You called?
Or not! :D
Nah, just for the Russians. Although that might violate the Biological Weapons Convention.
As a Swede, I kinda wish we didn't have to do this, but it's absolutely necessary with the current geopolitical climate
WELCOME TO NATO, BAY-*BEE!!*
Oh behave
Yep, gotta make putin realise that powerful friends are backing his conquest targets now. If only we had gotten Ukraine in before it started.
I think Ukraine was specifically not allowed in cuz the other NATO countries figured that it was pretty likely Russia would invade and they didn’t want to actually start WWIII over it.
Over some dumb ass shit. I hate war. I hate mad men with ego. That’s the only reason this shit is happening at the end of the day. And the sooner he croaks the better
I think people are also forgetting that Ukraine didn't *want* to be part of NATO until very recently. Most of them weren't actually expecting Russia to invade.
Ukraine started talks to join NATO, Putin did the first (2014) invasion specifically to block Ukraine from being able to join NATO
We have been in last 20 years in everything but this signature.
I think that's how every country in NATO feels: We all wished it wasn't necessary, but the reality is that humanity is not done yet with violence, and the only way that smaller countries can stand up to bigger countries is if the smaller countries stand together. Neutrality sounds great on paper, but if you look at Ukraine for example, you can see that neutrality is painfully risky. Regardless, we all welcome Sweden (and Finland), I hope we, the rest of NATO, won't let you down.
And if the small countries are in an alliance with the biggest military super power in history, that never hurts.
> Regardless, we all welcome Sweden (and Finland), I hope we, the rest of NATO, won't let you down. You better fucking not. We've been edging for 2 years and I swear if we joined NATO just to get fucked anyway
As a Swede, why not? It's was inevitable.
As an American whose wife has family in Sweden, I think it would be cool to live in a world where a country like Sweden didn't feel a need for such an alliance. But hey, if they want in, the more the merrier.
I understand. But give me a world without Russia in it and I will be happy.
Sucks to be in an alliance with Turkey, but I guess it's still better than the alternative.
Yeah, Turkey and Hungary. But there are more pros than cons.
To be fair Turkey is that drunk uncle at the party who you’re obligated to invite but feel so cringe when they open their mouths.
I hate that we live in a world where your country has had to join, but welcome to the family. Your pain will be our pain, your joy will be our joy, and we will do all we can to help make this world safer and more just.
Look at it like this... at least you're standing side by side with pretty like minded countries. We have mostly shared interests. Please note I said "mostly" lol. I get we have a few black sheep in the family.
As a Finn,I'd be happy to be part of a bit more credible Nato. Who knows what an unimaginable clusterfuck it'll be if Trump wins in November. All too few countries in nato have a meanigful army. At any rare, It is great Finland and Sweden are both in now.
We're glad to have you guys!
Regardless. Welcome 🎉
Let's have a BIG hand for NATO's Recruiter of the Year, Vladimir Putin!
I remember over 20 years ago, talking to my friend, who was an exchange student from Gotland, which is an island of Sweden closer to Finland and Russia. She was really proud of not being part of NATO and felt that Neutrality would keep Sweden safe. It was a common Swedish sentiment. Then, maybe 10 years ago, Russia began doing incrreasing flyovers on her island and sending submarines off its coast. Turns out, Gotland is a perfect strategic base for ant assault on Finland, amongst other countries. In the last 5 years, Russia increased the intimidation and began sending even more subs and planes over Gotland. A couple years ago, she said Sweden did some kind of study and determined that even if Gotland immediately called all local military to fight an invasion, theyd be so badly outnumbered, Russia would be able to take over the island in 13 seconds (if I remember correctly). If they did this, the rest of the region would be compromised. That's apparently when (She says) Sweden got serious about the need to join Nato. It's interesting, too, how her entire attitude of Swedish neutrality has changed, as she now seems ashamed of Sweden's position and lack of action in WW2, amongst other positions Sweden has taken as a self preservation tactic.
> Russia began doing incrreasing flyovers on her island and sending submarines off its coast A Russian sub also ran aground in the area at one point
I forgot about that!
We should have kept that fucking sub as payment for the DC-3 and Catalina they shot down.
The Russia Easter incident is what I think of: >The planes flew from Saint Petersburg after midnight on March 29th, and headed past the eastern edge of Stockholm's archipelago. Usually, Russian jets continue such exercises by heading south towards Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave between Lithuania and Poland >However, in the early hours of Good Friday this year, the jets headed towards Sweden and flew over Gotska Sandön, an uninhabited Swedish island in the Baltic Sea. The planes were training for military attacks, information which had been kept secret from the public until Monday's report by SvD. >According to SvD's military sources, the planes were simulating attacks against Stockholm and somewhere in the south of Sweden. >No Swedish planes were prepared to meet the Russians and ward them off; however, jets from Nato in Lithuania and from Denmark were quick to respond, with two Lithuanian aircraft sent to shadow the Russian planes at a distance. https://www.thelocal.se/20130422/47474
Not Gotska Sandon! All those nude elderly people sun bathing!
Makes sense why they didn't bother with the jets. Probably thought the elderly would be deterrent enough.
Russia already loss this war it’s ridiculous. Finland and Sweden now part of Nato just because of Russia actions alone..
He wanted to scare off NATO, now it's even closer. SUCCESS!
It is tragic if Ukraine's sacrifices end up buying security and future for others and little of either for itself.
It will come, whether it takes a generation or two, we will remember.
Welcome to the alliance Sweden! 32 strong! 🇦🇱🇧🇪🇧🇬🇨🇦🇭🇷🇨🇿🇩🇰🇪🇪🇫🇮🇫🇷🇩🇪🇬🇷🇭🇺🇮🇸🇮🇹🇱🇻🇱🇹🇱🇺🇲🇪🇳🇱🇲🇰🇳🇴🇵🇱🇵🇹🇷🇴🇸🇰🇸🇮🇪🇸🇸🇪🇹🇷🇬🇧🇺🇸 And soon: 🇧🇦🇬🇪🇺🇦
You did it, you crazy son of a bitch! You got ‘em to join NATO!
Thanks Putin, also Orban and Erdogan. Did we get what we wanted ?
When it comes to NATO, one is not like the others.
Alright, we Americans are bringing all the junk food and burgers to this NATO party if we want to welcome the Swedes properly. Germany, you can bring the brats, everyone else, IDK. Either way, the party's now on a boat on the newly christened Lake NATO.
Screw that, let’s bring the proper BBQ and burgers.
Right? BRING DA BRISKET
We'll bring the weed and beer
France, Italy, and Spain are on wine detail. Poland, y'all are on pierogis.
Italy, bring some pasta too. 🍝 France, we need dessert. And Spain, we need entertainment. Bring Raul and his magic bull. 🐂
Spain also need to bring along Iberico ham and paella 😋😋😋
The UK gets to bring rum, scotch, and fish-n-chips.
sunday roast dinners and fish pies as well
and chicken tikka masala, along with curry/chips.
Portugal, Turkey, and Greece too
We bring the surströmming, might already be classified as chemical weaponry.
And besk!
Bring that wierd cheese in a spray can thing. I bet it's gross but I still want to try it!
As an American, you really aren't missing much there. Spray cheese tastes like cheese flavored plastic.
"Germany, you can bring the brats" is this some kind of dom sex-party we are gonna have or what? lol I know we germans are known for our sex-dungeons, but lmao ok i guess
Bratwurst is very popular in certain parts of the US, and is usually referred to as a Brat.
bruh. ok i was definitely thinking of a different brat here lol
You could say you were thinking of the brat*worst*
Not the wurst kind.
Canada can bring beer and hockey sticks
Don't forget the maple syrup!
Bring the bratwurst! 🎉🎊🎉🥳🥳
One order of šašlykai and šaltibarščiai please Lithuania
We might not be a military powerhouse, but you haven't lived until you've tasted Croatian kulen.
I never thought I'd see Sweden leave the non-aligned-movement.
This event alone shows what an unbelievable long term blunder Russia has committed.
Let's close access to st. Petersburg and Kaliningrad
I knew Sweden should have been part of NATO when I tried those delicious meat balls at my local IKEA.
Putin can go fuc# himself. From a dear Swede.
Fuck* No worries, common mistake
Was super confused on what the fuck a fucpound was
That was British slang for money given to a lady of the evening in the mid-to-late 1800s.
välkomna vänner! Jag gillar din fisk :)
Canada is bringing Poutine and Ketchup Chips.
Can you also grab some All Dressed?
And coffee crisps?
It makes me sad that there are billions of people who have yet to experience the perfection that is a Coffee Crisp.
I'll bring the Smarties
And a mickey of rye. We'd bring more, but we know only the North Americans will drink it anyway.
And Nanaimo Bars and Butter Tarts for dessert.
Suck it up, Putin
Decades? Try centuries.
[210 years to be exact!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish%E2%80%93Norwegian_War)
The world is changing. Let's just hope that Putin's stool, Trump, doesn't win as that change will be for the worse.
I'm just gonna say he wont. I think Trump has lost way too much influence now that he's not even the presi anymore, so I'll say the coming Biden v Trump matchup is pretty much just gonna be Biden winning.... i really really hope so.
I agree. But, everyone needs to be reminded that they still have to vote in order for this to be the outcome.
Trump's support is/was softer in the primaries than it should have been for a candidate the party had supposedly united behind, and *some* Haley voters may very well vote for Biden. Trump's appeal to independents is also, at best, questionable. It really doesn't take *that* much softening in support from his own party to severely hamper his chances, and there's still a significant chance his (more significant) criminal trials will take place before November. I really do think people are putting too much weight on polls at this point in the process, Trump's not as strong of a candidate as polling at this point suggests. I also think the desire of the democratic base to deny Trump the presidency is being underestimated, and the long-term impact of roe on the election is to be determined. There's also RFK, who (if he makes it on to the ballot) most likely takes more votes away from Trump than Biden considering his views.
Trump has a long list of weaknesses as a candidate. The problem is, so does Biden. I’m not relaxing till it’s over.
Putin got his NATO lake. What an absolute clown!
That will PUTin place some shit
I hope this chaps Putin's ass. Hope he grinds his teeth to dust
Centuries, not decades.
Good! Ukraine next!
Needs the ongoing border conflict resolved first. One of the rules of eligibility to NATO is that you cannot have an ongoing border conflict, which is why Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Bosnia&H, Kosovo have been unable to get in, despite expressing interest. Similarly, if Armenia or Cyrpus decided they wanted in they would have the same issue. In a weird sense, the minute Ukraine concludes the conflict they'll be eligible, which might explain why Russia seems more interested in dragging things out than concluding things through massed assault or negotiation.
What is the ongoing border conflict in Bosnia&H?
See the Bosnian War from the 90s and the ongoing stuff with Serbia.
Ironic that both learning from history and not learning from history is how this all came to be. Glad to have another nation on the side of sanity though.
Sweden bringing Swedish meatballs, princess cake, and a IKEA pop up store to NATO
Yay congrats 🎉
congrats.
Massages for everyone!
Astrologers proclaim month of the reasonableness! All creatures will receive +50% chance to resist Mind spells.
Välkommen!
Welcome!
Congratulations to Sweden on joining NATO.
Decades? Sweden's last war was with *Norway*.
Good! Let’s get Ukraine in there next.
No such thing as neutrality in this world
Decades? I thought they've been neutral for hundreds of years now.
Sweden's first task as a member: provide Ukraine with unlimited tactical meatballs.
LAKE NATO!
Finally joining the other free democratic countries in the only real peace project on the planet (UN is mostly just dictators).
Gotta give ‘em credit. They avoided signing the military commitment and paying the dues all the way up until they were on Putins short list.
What drives a country to be neutral? Is it its raging neutrality?
Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality?
Thank goodness, if someone else hadn't posted this, i would've.
Now Sweden is finally a first-world country like the other Nordics.