# Finland and Sweden appear poised for entry to NATO {2022-05-12} **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** ukraine-invasion, breaking-news\ **Created:** [May 13, 2022, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350 "2022-05-13T03:38:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/21 "2022-05-14T03:36:13Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Fuck that guy. With a .50 round between the eyes. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/22 "2022-05-14T03:47:52Z")
> [@SoToasty](#): > > The link says, expansion must be unanimous. Can we just kick them out for a couple hours or something? ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/23 "2022-05-14T04:22:00Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > What if we just let Putin have Turkey? Or at least Erdogan and all his supporters. Considering that Turkey has been supplying Ukraine with weapons from the very beginning of the war, we may wish to tread lightly on the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/24 "2022-05-14T06:51:53Z")
Is this related? > **[Finnish transmission system operator says Russian company cutting off...](https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3487993-finnish-transmission-system-operator-says-russian-company-cutting-off-electricity-imports-saturday/)** > > A Finnish transmission system operator announced on Friday that a Russian energy company would be cutting off its electricity imports to Finland beginning the next day. Beginning on Saturday at 1 a… ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/25 "2022-05-14T12:39:49Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Is this related? That’s a Russian response, yes. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/26 "2022-05-14T12:40:16Z")
Letting Turkey join NATO seems more and more like a major mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/27 "2022-05-14T12:45:17Z")
I’m not sure. I read somewhere that Finland has stopped payment for the power so that is why Russia is stopping sending power. I read elsewhere Finland had a new nuclear reactor online so may not need that power. I do not know what the reality of it is. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/28 "2022-05-14T12:55:10Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I’m not sure. I read somewhere that Finland has stopped payment for the power so that is why Russia is stopping sending power. I stand corrected. The details of the article seem reasonable. Payments are difficult or impossible to process, so trade has been suspended. I jumped to conclusions based on the timing and some slanted headlines. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/29 "2022-05-15T20:47:41Z")
Wasn’t that 40-50 years ago? ETA: Turkey joined 1952, so part of the first enlargement of NATO Also the current kerfuffle seems to be resolved. Turkey just wanted some assurances the Swedes wouldn’t shelter or support some Kurdish Terrorist. This appears to be resolved. US Secretary of State Blinken spoke to Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu and my understanding is it is all or almost all cleared up. It is hard to complain about Erdoğan when we had our own questionable leader so recently. Erdoğan is nearly done anyway. I think 2024 ends his eligible time as President. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/30 "2022-05-15T20:52:15Z")
Maybe something like this? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xBWmkwaTQ0k/maxresdefault.jpg "Downfall (2004) - Clip 1: Steiner's Attack") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBWmkwaTQ0k) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/31 "2022-05-15T22:43:33Z")
This article suggests the process for joining NATO is more nebulous. Awkward agreements have also been made that a country “will join NATO”. I would assume Turkey is merely negotiating for advantages. > **[What does it take to join NATO?](https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/05/12/what-does-it-take-to-join-nato)** > > There are few rules to joining the alliance—membership is largely a matter of political discretion. But two problems have slowed NATO enlargement ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/32 "2022-05-15T23:09:09Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Letting Turkey join NATO seems more and more like a major mistake. Made a lot of sense in 1952. From a strategic, realpolitik POV it arguably still does. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/33 "2022-05-15T23:34:50Z")
I’m just waiting for Ukraine to kick the Russians out of their turf so we can technically say that the “current conflict” is over, and five minutes later, they’re in, too. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/34 "2022-05-16T00:13:56Z")
NATO charter won’t allow that. There will be too much disputed territory. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/35 "2022-05-16T00:20:51Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Wasn’t that 40-50 years ago? ETA: Turkey joined 1952, so part of the first enlargement of NATO Do all mistakes have to be recent? 😉 > [@What\_Exit](#): > > Also the current kerfuffle seems to be resolved. Turkey just wanted some assurances the Swedes wouldn’t shelter or support some Kurdish Terrorist. This appears to be resolved. What Erdogan really wants is for Sweden to stop giving political asylum to Turkish dissidents and persecuted Kurdish politicians, stop supporting the Kurds in Syria, stop making a fuss about his strongman tactics and arrests journalists and opposition politicians, etc. etc. I don’t believe Turkey has given any assurances of not being a road block that they can’t walk back. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/36 "2022-05-16T00:24:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m just waiting for Ukraine to kick the Russians out of their turf The Russian Army is dug in like Missouri tick on a bloodhound’s neck folds. They aren’t going anywhere any time soon even if Putin has to threaten to skin them alive to a man and make a giant bodysuit for his mechanical golum if he has to. The Ukrainians are putting up a great insurgency and they’re making every inch of seized territory cost liters of Russian blood, but the Russians can throw a lot of men and material into the grinder and will continue to do so until they essentially run out of both. I know people hope this is over soon but it just isn’t going to happen without a time machine or three ghosts visiting Putin and making him see the errors of his Scrooge-ish ways. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/37 "2022-05-16T00:29:02Z")
> [@naita](#): > > What Erdogan really wants is for Sweden to stop giving political asylum to Turkish dissidents and persecuted Kurdish politicians, stop supporting the Kurds in Syria, stop making a fuss about his strongman tactics and arrests journalists and opposition politicians, etc. etc. I don’t believe Turkey has given any assurances of not being a road block that they can’t walk back. Again, _fuck that guy_. Turkey was strategically crucial in the Cold War, but today they need NATO more than NATO needs Turkey. And while NATO doesn’t necessarily _need_ Sweden and Finland, having them as members certainly circumscribes Putin’s options without escalating a wider conflict. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/38 "2022-05-16T01:02:20Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > The Russian Army is dug in like Missouri tick on a bloodhound’s neck folds. They aren’t going anywhere any time soon even if Putin has to threaten to skin them alive to a man and make a giant bodysuit for his mechanical golum if he has to. If they don’t go anywhere, then they’ll die on the spot. Ukraine started taking back ground like a month ago. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/39 "2022-05-16T01:16:09Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > … What are the IKEA meatballs composed of? I don’t know, I’ve never assembled one. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350/40 "2022-05-16T01:27:31Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > What are the IKEA meatballs composed of? [![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EWD0cJzXQAUnf6r?format=jpg&name=large) ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EWD0cJzXQAUnf6r?format=jpg&name=large) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finland-and-sweden-appear-poised-for-entry-to-nato-2022-05-12/964350.md?page=3)