Why NATO? What the alliance offers Finland and Sweden: Expert Available to comment

As Finland and Sweden both now formally asked to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and much emphasis tp-date has been placed on Russia’s anti-NATO position and the goals of the United States.

However, as Western University and King’s University College expert Oleksa Drachewych explains, there is a lot that NATO represents to nations in Europe that is being overlooked in the discussion.

An assistant professor in the department of history, Drachewych specializes in modern global history, particularly the history of international communism, modern international relations, anti-imperial movements, and transnational human and civil rights movements. He is available to media to comment on the motivations for NATO expansion.

“To many Eastern and Southeastern European nations, following the collapse of communist rule in Eastern Europe, it is an option to best ensure their security,” said Drachewych.

“What’s clear is that bodies like NATO and the European Union have gained renewed importance in the European diplomatic landscape, a result both of its generally united response to Russian aggression in Ukraine and in how member and non-member states have since defined their relationships with the alliance.”

Commentary reflects the perspective and scholarly interest of Western faculty members and is not an articulation of official university policy on issues being addressed.

MEDIA CONTACT: Justin Zadorsky, Media Relations Officer, Western University, 226.377.1673 (mobile), jzadorsk@uwo.ca.