Can countries remain neutral in today’s Europe? | Military

When Finland becomes a NATO member, only a handful of European nations will be non-aligned militarily.

Neutrality is under threat, according to its advocates, while opponents say it’s a luxury European states cannot afford.

The war in Ukraine has put more focus on countries such as Switzerland, Ireland and Austria, who remain non-aligned militarily.

Those countries have sanctioned Russia, but they are not getting involved in the conflict – sending no weapons or personnel to the battlefield.

Sweden and Finland – once bastions of neutrality – have applied to join NATO, with Finland to become a member of the bloc in the next few days.

Does neutrality still matter? Or is it an outdated concept in today’s world?

Presenter: Cyril Vanier

Guests:

Jori Arvonen – Chairman of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats and former Finnish undersecretary of state for European Union affairs

Jean-Marc Rickli – Head of global and emerging risks at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and a specialist on military policies of European neutral and non-aligned states

Richard Boyd Barrett – Member of the Irish parliament representing the People Before Profit party and leader of the Irish anti-war movement