How do you feel about Finland joining NATO?

33 comments

1. Its fine. They were already pretty much western aligned.

2. The more the merrier.

3. I am all for it.

4. I would have much stronger feelings if I thought there was a real chance that Russia would be capable of invading Finland even without NATO protection. But it’s always good to have more friends and especially friends like Finland, and even if the chance of a Russian invasion was small it’s good to reduce it to zero.

5. It’s good.

   NATO is good.

   It pisses off Putin, which is also good.

6. Sounds good.

7. Full support, love to see it. Every European democracy should be in NATO.

8. Very happy about it. The big question was always if NATO would be able to defend the Baltics in case of an invasion, or if they’d have to fall back and try to recapture them.

   The Baltic Sea now being surrounded on 3 sides by NATO territory makes it much much easier to defend the Baltics.

   Even beyond the pure geography of it, Finland has one of the best defensive forces in Europe. They don’t fuck around up there. So it’s also a great step towards the alliance being a little less lopsided in terms of how much cost each side of the Atlantic bears.

   There’s so much benefit for both the US and the alliance at large, with basically 0 downside.

   edit: not to mention, it’s a direct negative consequence for Putin for starting the war, and one of the biggest so far.

9. Very supportive. It’s a hard check on Russian expansion into Europe.

10. Until 2022 I assumed they were already part of NATO. I don’t know much about NATO.

11. Good news everyone!

12. Pretty good. I think anything that lays bare Putin’s sheer incompetence as a leader hastens the day when he will fall out of a window somewhere.

13. Finland is a good country to align with. They tend to share similar values and have stable, reasonable governments (unlike, say, Turkey, who is part of NATO mostly for their location and the power they project in that specific region).

14. I welcome it. I think it’s certainly going to escalate tensions between Russia and the US, but that’s not hard to do at this point. We’ll see how it plays out, especially since Russia and the US have to renegotiate the New START Treaty in 2026. Russia has already suspended their cooperation with the treaty. I’m cautiously optimistic that Joey B’s administration will be able to move things along in a positive way to prevent a nuclear war.

15. I’m all for it, gotta send a message to NATO and Finland obviously feels unsafe. I see it as a win, win. The war will only escalate anyway, so people who say it is a liability, for me, would need to explain what they think it will cause?

16. The only country with more baked-in hate for Russia than Poland is Finland. I’m good with it, especially since they share such a large land border with Russia. Plus, the Finnish military is legit.

17. Putin has been a fantastic NATO asset

18. It’s about time

19. Good. I feel very good.

20. > How do you feel about Finland joining NATO?

    The more the merrier.

21. It’s great to have another military ally that has an actual military.

22. Pretty nice to get someone that has an actual army and takes the military seriously. Unlike the Germans…

23. Welcome!

    Finland is a class act. Their first action as a NATO member was to ratify Sweden’s accession.

24. About time. Finland belongs in the cool kids club.

25. Great. The Finns are good fighters. Their services are legit and modern.

    NATO is a defensive alliance. It is only a threat to those that attack it. It has arguably been the most influential association at establishing peace in Europe, by forcing mutual engagement between countries. Europe until the end of WWII was a series of constant warfare for…well, ever.

    Wars are fought between countries because of fear of invasion, envy of resources or megalomania and delusions of grandeur. NATO eliminates the first risk, sets the foundation for trade with the second, and deters the third.

26. Anything that pisses off Putin is a good thing.

27. I’m happy for it as it’s a step toward getting Ukraine in. It does worry me about it potentially escalating the war, but that’s the price to pay to get someone off of their bullshit.

28. Good. Even better when Sweden joins.

    Even better when the ruZZian federation is broken and it’s leadership sentenced for their many crimes against humanity and sent to a new and improved Spandau 2 prison.

29. I’m an American and my dad happens to live in Finland, about 7 miles from the Russian border. So to say that i am happy would be an understatement. I’m elated! This last year has been very stressful for me personally.

30. I’ve always been a fan and supporter if their previous policy of neutrality. I’ve spent a lot of time in Finland and it seems to have been a good position for them and the world at large. Their politics and culture are very much in line with the other Nordics so they are very much western in that sense. On the other hand, their history is very much alive around the country and their geological position makes their neutrality a strategic benefit for everyone.

    HOWEVER, considering the shit going on with their eastern neighbor, I’m absolutely in favor of them joining NATO, mostly as a statement about their commitment to human rights and what they will and will not tolerate. I am concerned about it heightening tensions with Russia but this seems like the best option moving forward.

    I hope Swesen joins soon. I don’t see a reason for them not to join.

31. 100% for it.

    Fuck Putin! Fuck Russia!

32. I’m all for it. I’m stoked that NATO is getting new members that actually bring something to the table. I’m all for Sweden joining as well. It’s about time we get some countries that actually invest a sizable portion of their GDP to military spending. I’m tired of the US having to be the top dog and the world police. Finland and Sweden joining significantly bolsters the power and effectiveness of nato.

33. The answer can only be positively.

    For the NATO enthusiasts: Finland dramatically improves the alliance’s ability to protect our Baltic friends by making the Suwalki Gap a degree of redundant.

    For the NATO skeptics: Finland immediately becomes one of if not the most hands-off members of the alliance. This is not Iceland or Macedonia or even Germany. Finland has an extremely competent and technologically advanced military with hundreds of thousands of trained reservists, an efficient mobilization program, and excellent infrastructure. They are far and away net contributors. Finns are prepared to fight for their country. Always have been.

    For the Atlanticists: it’s fucking Finland. It’s a tragedy we weren’t already in an alliance. Finland is a beautiful liberal democracy that’s worth protecting. If the US military should be used for anything it should be for keeping countries like Finland in existence.

    For the layman: they’re a great buncha lads