Turkey’s Parliament to Discuss Sweden’s NATO Bid, Still in Limbo
New York TimesJan 03
The Facts
Sweden’s potential accession to NATO received a major boost on Tuesday after Turkey’s parliamentary foreign affairs commission approved its membership bid. Turkey had delayed Sweden’s bid for 19 months, demanding security-related concessions from Stockholm.
Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had opposed Sweden’s membership, but he reversed his objection in July. However, he waited several months to send the bill to parliament, and it took weeks for the foreign affairs commission to approve the accession.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Sweden’s imminent accession to NATO and Finland’s approval earlier this year are key diplomatic wins for international security. Peace is attained through unity and strength, so adding two historically neutral countries from northern Europe to the military alliance will go a long way toward deterring aggression. With Russia on the offensive in Ukraine, all hands must be on deck to stop further attacks. While some countries may want to keep out of conflict, modern defense requires a unified front, and NATO is the main protector of the global order.
Establishment-critical narrative
NATO claims to seek peace in Europe, but the fact is that the expansion of the aggressive military alliance is only destabilizing the continent. NATO has essentially become an anti-Russian alliance that seeks to provoke Moscow and create conflict. Moreover, NATO is destroying the concept of neutrality and non-interventionism by calling on all members to pick a side in conflicts that have nothing to do with them. NATO is hostile toward its perceived enemies, and Sweden is actually inching closer towards provoking conflict, not deterring it.