Wary of Russia, Finns take another look at NATO ⋆ The Baltic Review

HELSINKI — For decades, Finland managed its delicate relationship with Russia by avoiding any move that could provoke the “sleeping bear” on its eastern border. Now, a retired senior diplomat is pushing his country to risk angering the beast — by joining the NATO military alliance. “This country deserves an open debate when it comes to foreign and security policy,” said Hannu Himanen, Finland’s ambassador to Russia until 2016. After four years in Moscow, Himanen became convinced his country should stop worrying about irking Russia and start thinking about ensuring its own security by joining the Western military alliance. In […]