It is a west broadly, those preparing for the worst by closing ranks. But the fact is that not only Russia has attacked Ukraine and is threatening Finland and Sweden for responding by demanding NATO membership. There is also China: which in turn is threatening an attack on Taiwan, which continues to send its fighters into the island’s skies with intimidating effect, which has been nagging at its neighbors by building artificial islands since 2012, which effectively abolishes freedom and autonomy of Hong Kong, and which has infected the world with Covid. And there’s North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong-un continues to tirelessly test missiles and has said so Putin gave him an example to solve the South Korean problem and then Iran, which has meanwhile fueled growing tensions in Israel. And Putin’s smaller “clients”: Ortega’s Nicaragua increasing repression, Cuba passing a new, more repressive penal code, Venezuela’s maduro who appoints the ambassador in Moscow, the Belarusian Lukashenko, who is threatening the Ukrainian borders, as foreign minister. The Swedish foreign minister has therefore formally signed the application for membership in NATO. And in Finland, the parliament approved the application for membership. Both with left-wing governments, Finland never voted against the USSR at the UN during the Cold War, Sweden even tended to be against the US. Switzerland itself is rethinking: neutrality is no longer a dogma, 56% of voters are calling for a rapprochement with NATO, and the government is taking the first steps.
In fact, it’s not just the West that is closing ranks. Even the Taiwanese foreign minister Joseph Wu, wished for more cooperation with NATO. A prominent interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung stated: “Taiwan hopes for closer cooperation with NATO in view of the military threat posed by China. We see the potential for greater cooperation,” he said, specifying that there are “more and more talks” between the two sides because “Taiwan’s defense is no longer just a matter of professional military.” Taipei also wants to “overcome previous barriers” in relations with Germany, Wu assures.
In return, the new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol He delivered an inaugural speech in which he promised a “relief plan for North Korea if Pyongyang halts nuclear development” but otherwise urged the US to station nuclear weapons in the south. Japan is also in, even overcoming atavistic disagreements with South Korea and Taiwan.
In response to China, Australia has forged the Aukus alliance with the UK and US at the expense of sanctions from Beijing, which suspended imports of Australian coal at the cost of entering an energy crisis. India has done enough in the Ukraine crisis to avoid outright condemnation from Moscow and has sought to use the embargoes affecting Russia to stock up on bargain-priced Russian commodities. However, it is with the USA, Japan and Australia in that Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) that is actually aimed at China and not at Russia. Even in the Philippines, Marcos Jr.’s troubling presidential election shows popular support for an anti-Beijing line. And Bolsonaro himself in Brazil, after several weeks of pressuring Putin, now seems concerned about communism in Latin America. It is true that elections are coming.