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In a major report published ahead of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit in Brussels on 14 June 2021, ICAN argues that members of the transatlantic alliance should embrace the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which entered into force this January.

The 116-page report proposes that NATO take steps to become a ”non-nuclear alliance”, in line with the new norm set by the United Nations. Further, those NATO members that are ready to join the TPNW should be free to do so, without fear of repercussions from their allies, particularly the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, which still possess nuclear arsenals.

The report highlights the widespread support for the TPNW within many NATO states, as evidenced by public opinion polls, parliamentary resolutions, political party declarations, and statements from past leaders. It notes that NATO members face no legal barrier to joining the treaty, so long as they commit not to engage in or support any nuclear-weapon-related activities.

Rapporten finns att ladda ned här.

Nästa år har det gått 100 år sedan Åland fick självstyrelse. Jubileumsåret firas 9.6.2021–9.6.2022. Självstyrelsen är en del av den finländska demokratin och gör Finlands förvaltningsstruktur unik och mångsidig, och den har en stark tradition och ska utvecklas och värnas om i gott samarbete med Åland. Utrikesministeriet deltar i evenemangen under jubileumsåret.

Ålands självstyrelse är ett exempel på en lyckad och framgångsrik självstyrelselösning. Det är också ett exempel på fredlig konfliktlösning i krisområden.

I likhet med resten av Finland har också Åland varit en del av Konungariket Sverige, men 1809 blev landskapet en del av storfurstendömet Finland, när Sverige blev tvunget att överlämna Finland och Åland till det ryska kejsardömet. Läs artikel

Even in times of having a good relationship with Moscow, Western countries did not care about its interests when enlarging NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised interview on Rossiya-24 channel.

”As for NATO’s enlargement and the advancement of NATO infrastructure towards Russia’s borders, this is a matter of paramount significance as far as the security of Russians and Russia goes,” the president noted.

Putin recalled the two waves of NATO’s expansion to the east which took place when the relations of Russia and the West were better. […]

Germany’s foreign minister said on Monday the European Union should abolish the right of individual member states to veto foreign policy measures as the 27-nation bloc could not allow itself to be “held hostage”.

His comments, which came days after a more junior official criticised Hungary by name, reflect growing frustration in Berlin at the way in which EU member countries can prevent it from acting in matters on which almost all members agree.

”We can’t let ourselves be held hostage by the people who hobble European foreign policy with their vetoes,” Heiko Maas told a conference of Germany’s ambassadors in Berlin. […]

Hungary blocked an EU statement in April criticising China’s new security law in Hong Kong, undermining EU efforts to confront Beijing’s restrictions of freedoms in the former British colony. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Monday that the European left, led by the German left, was attacking Hungary because of ”its refusal to sign a politically inconsequential and frivolous joint declaration on Hong Kong”.

These declarations make the EU look like a ”pathetic paper tiger,” Orban wrote on his official website. Läs artikel

Defence industry bodies from India and Sweden have agreed to deepen collaboration between their members as part of expanding bilateral efforts to strengthen defence trade and production ties.

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on 8 June that the agreement was signed during an online event – chaired by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Swedish counterpart Peter Hultqvist – focused on identifying opportunities for India and Sweden to expand their defence industrial partnership. Läs notisen

Both planes and helicopters will be in the air working together with the surface ships and a few submarines, according to the press service of the Northern Fleet.

The warships sail out from bases on the Kola Peninsula, while a few larger ships, like the battlecruiser “Pyotr Velikiy” and “Marshal Ustinov” are still at sea after they left port in Severomorsk for another exercise in late May.

NATO warships have in the course of the last few weeks conducted exercise Formidable Shield, training missile defence outside the coast of northern Norway

For the Northern Fleet, the plan is to assess practical skills in combat with live firing of different weapons systems, defending Russia’s Arctic coastline from imaginary enemy submarines and various missiles. As recently reported by the Barents Observer, Russian Northern Fleet Commander, Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev, named NATO’s increased presence up north “provocative” and said it “threatens security” in the Arctic.

Taking consequences of the increased military traffic at sea and in the air, Norway and Russia are soon to sign an updated protocol under the Incidents at Sea Agreement. Läs artikel

[…] In responding to Russia’s intimidation, Western countries voiced strong support for Ukraine, while the NATO secretary general declared that only NATO would decide on enlargement. However, the unfortunate truth is that NATO will not offer membership to Ukraine and Georgia any time soon. The reluctance of the alliance to do so is based on sound geopolitical reasoning and a sober evaluation of the two countries’ limited progress on much-needed reforms. NATO should not officially close its “open door” to new members, but Ukraine and Georgia remaining outside the alliance is ultimately the best policy for NATO given the circumstances. […]

If Ukraine and Georgia were to join NATO, the alliance would have to ready itself for an adequate assurance of its new members and an unprecedented conventional deterrence of Russia. Defending a country the size of Ukraine or as remote as Georgia puts in doubt NATO’s ability to deploy the substantial in-theater and backup forces and equipment this would require. It also puts in doubt America’s willingness to greatly enhance its existing deterrence initiative and not least carry the financial burden. Läs artikel

Det grönländska självstyret riktar kritik mot Danmark efter att landet röstat igenom ett miljardpaket för att öka sin militära kapacitet i Arktis, ett beslut som Grönland anser står i strid med grönländsk territorialkontroll.

– Som utgångspunkt har (beslutet) inte grogrund här, detta är inte ett avtal som ingåtts med Grönland, säger Pele Broberg, utrikesansvarig i Grönlands regeringsorgan naalakkersuisut, till det grönländska public service-bolaget KNR.

Det danska försvarspaketet, på motsvarande 2 miljarder svenska kronor, röstades igenom av folketinget i februari i år. Pengarna ska bland annat gå till att stärka den danska försvarsmaktens förmåga att övervaka och stödja civila operationer i det arktiska området.

Pele Broberg säger i intervju med KNR att den typen av militär utbyggnad inte är önskvärd för Grönlands räkning. Läs artikel

I en kommentar 1. juni til mitt innlegg om samarbeidsavtalen med USA 31. mai skriver forsvarsminister Bakke-Jensen at jeg ikke trenger å bekymre meg, for avtalen bryter ikke med Grunnloven. Det er ikke en bekymring, men en påpekning fra min side.

Enten finner Stortinget ut at statsråden og hans departement har balansert de snirklete formuleringene om amerikanernes rettigheter på norsk jord tilstrekkelig bra i forhold til Grunnlovens tekst, eller det får tommelen ned. Som jeg skriver i mitt innlegg er det endringene i vår erklærte basepolitikk som er viktig med den nye avtalen. Om noe skulle bekymre meg måtte det være at Bakke-Jensen er så ubekymret.

Det er forresten påfallende hvor ofte det står skrevet i avtaleteksten at det ikke er noe i avtalen som endrer norsk basepolitikk, særlig i artiklene I, III og IV, og hvor ofte Bakke-Jensen og den alltid smilende utenriksministeren vår gjentar dette. Det i seg selv er nok til å anta at det er nettopp det det er; endringer i basepolitikken. […]

Det burde ikke være vanskelig å skille mellom allierte som kommer til landet for å øve for et begrenset tidsrom, og styrker som med juridisk bindende avtale i bunnen og gjør som de vil innen bestemte områder hele året; med et antall personer de selv bestemmer, og som beveger seg inn og ut av, og i praksis over hele landet – også i og over Finnmark. Läs artikel

Ryssland har beslutat att lämna Open Skies-avtalet som tillåter fredlig flygspaning över de undertecknande ländernas territorium. Beslutet hänger ihop med att USA i fjol valde att bryta avtalet.

USA:s president Donald Trump valde i november 2020 att gå ur Open Skies-avtalet eftersom USA ansåg att Ryssland inte följde avtalets regler. USA beskyller Ryssland för att förhindra att amerikanska spaningsplan flyger över Georgien och den ryska exklaven Kaliningrad på den Baltiska kusten. Ryssland har förnekat detta.

Rysslands president Vladimir Putin hade hoppats på att kunna diskutera avtalet med USA:s nya president Joe Biden när de träffas i Genéve om några veckor. Bidens administration meddelade ändå redan i maj att USA inte undertecknar avtalet igen.  Läs artikel

[…] If the political purpose of a new Pacific war is to change Chinese behavior externally or internally—to render China incapable of resisting American political demands—it is worth noting that China is not Imperial Japan in 1941. Japan’s economy was roughly one-tenth the size of the U.S. economy, and it still required three years of hard fighting by U.S. forces to redeem America’s ignominious defeat at Pearl Harbor and in the Philippines. In addition, when Tokyo decided to attack U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor, Japan was already at war with a number of states including China, Great Britain, and the Netherlands.

Beijing, meanwhile, will not confront a two front war. Neither Moscow nor its Indian ally will risk war with China. However, in the event of war with China, Washington must take seriously the danger of fighting China and Russia, two major regional powers, simultaneously, because Washington is actively hostile to both.