In May 2022, Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership. The decision arrived at a time of the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, which sparked, and is continuing to elicit, growing security concerns among its European neighbors. Both Sweden and Finland have engaged in regular military cooperation with NATO allies, especially with respect to the sale and purchase of military equipment. Finland’s decision to purchase 64 F-35 aircraft from the US aerospace corporation Lockheed Martin in early 2022 was viewed as a move that, although not entirely indicative of a NATO future, provided a parallel with the neighboring, fellow Arctic country Norway, which also operates the F-35 aircraft. Indeed, the sense of shared military prowess and interoperability between Arctic countries and the wider NATO intergovernmental organization as a whole is a fundamental component of both the feasibility and practicality of Sweden and Finland’s decision to join NATO.
All by Keelan Jacques
Iran’s Uranium Enrichment: What Threat does it Pose?
Since Mahsa Amini’s death on September 16, protests in Iran have escalated, bringing increased attention to the Iranian government and the state of democracy in Iran. Meanwhile, Iran has continued to conduct a process called uranium enrichment, which involves the enrichment of uranium to higher levels of purity. This process is necessary for the development of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. Western leaders and leaders in the Middle East have expressed widespread concern that this process represents a move by Iran toward nuclear armament. However, Iran has denied claims that the process is an act of nuclear proliferation, stating that the uranium enrichment process is being conducted for the sole purpose of the development of nuclear energy. Recent progress on this process shows Iran enriching uranium up to 60%, a significant rise on previous enrichment of up to 20% in 2015, but what does this mean for global security, and why are Western leaders and their allies worried by this development?
Can Democrats break the Historical Trend in the Midterms?
The trend shows that from the years 1934-2018, the President’s party has averaged a loss of 28 House seats and four Senate seats (Woolley, 2022). This average presents a considerable power shift and can make it more difficult for the ruling party to pass legislation in the second half of a four-year presidential term. The sitting President’s party has only gained seats in the House on three occasions and in the Senate on six (Woolley, 2022). This demonstrates the statistical unlikelihood of President Biden’s Democratic Party making gains or retaining the same number of seats it currently holds in the midterms. Biden will be hoping the Democratic Party can break the trend this year, but how are the midterms shaping up for the Democrats?
How Giorgia Meloni’s Election Victory Fits the Nationalist Bill
Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s incoming Prime Minister, is a divisive figure in the arena of European politics. Her recent election victory in the wake of Mario Draghi’s resignation illuminated the underlying currents of frustration impacting the people of Italy. Her platform was based on a firebrand form of nationalism, espousing many of the tenets exemplified by the modern conservative nationalist. The Brothers of Italy party leader is anti-Europe, anti-abortion, anti-euthanasia, anti-same-sex marriage, anti-multiculturalism, anti-mass migration, and an outspoken opponent of contemporary gender movements. Her support for the Great Replacement theory highlights an alarming sentiment of white nationalism spreading through the ranks of the Italian polity, but why was her message so resonant?