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PoliticsFinland

The end of neutrality - Finland joins NATO

September 5, 2022

In light of the Russia-Ukraine war, Finland wants to join NATO. The membership bid is backed by the majority of the population, but it also has its critics.

https://p.dw.com/p/4GRrY

Just six months ago, any discussion of an end to Finland’s military neutrality was considered taboo. But the Russian invasion of Ukraine not only undermined this stance, it prompted a complete rethink: 75% of Finns now support NATO membership. A former soldier, 60-year-old Ilpo Pohjola is president of the Finnish Reservists Association and welcomes the decision. He points out that Russia has attacked Finland before and shouldn’t be trusted. 20-year-old Vili Nurmi is a conscientious objector who refused to carry out military service, which is mandatory in Finland, and sees Finland’s accession to NATO as a mistake. He’s performing civilian service in Helsinki and organizing demonstrations against NATO, which he accuses of warmongering. As a pacifist, he’s at the other end of the spectrum from Ilpo Pohjola, and says these are the worst months of his life. A documentary about Finland’s radical security rethink and how it’s affecting its minority of young pacifists.

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