Officials at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization were celebrating at their headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday as the alliance welcomed Finland into its fold. In joining NATO, Finland has abandoned a 75-year tradition of military neutrality, throwing its lot in with the West against an increasingly isolated Russia.
The announcement is undoubtedly a black eye for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as his neighbor takes a side. But U.S. and European policymakers should not exaggerate what’s to come. NATO expansion is not a panacea. It will neither resolve the war in Ukraine nor fix the more serious underlying problems of European defense.
This week’s accession ceremony allowed policymakers to take a victory lap. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in attendance to receive Finland’s accession documents, noted that the alliance is now “more united than ever,” along with an off-handed remark that perhaps “this is the one thing we can thank Mr. Putin for.” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak went further, arguing that Finland’s NATO membership “makes every one of us safer,” while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the event as a “victory for transatlantic security.”
