Nato's Trident Juncture exercises
Nato is currently practising defence manoeuvres in Norway in its biggest military exercises since the collapse of the Soviet Union. At the same time marine exercises are taking place off Finland's eastern coast. Who are these manoeuvres aimed at?
A huge trade fair for the arms industry
The global arms industry benefits most from these huge military exercises and Trump's threat to withdraw from the INF Treaty, Avvenire notes:
“This is a hugely profitable market, with sales of almost 1.7 trillion dollars a year. That's 2.3 percent of the global GDP, and the US, Russia and China are the major players. ... In other words: while Russia and the US (not to mention Beijing) are often rivals on the global political and military chessboard, they're merry playfellows when it comes to divvying up the spoils on the arms market. If the international missile agreements are abrogated it would be a gift from heaven for weapons manufacturers on both sides of the ocean. With a little malice one could describe Trident Juncture 2018 as a fantastic trade fair showcasing the Atlantic war potential. Or is it just a coincidence that the Russians are sitting in the front row as guests of honour?”
A warning to politicians
The Frankfurter Rundschau is worried about this latest round of muscle-flexing between Nato and Russia:
“It's taking place at a time when the US is threatening to withdraw from the INF Treaty. When the US ambassador to Nato is vague in her wording and conveys the impression that the US is planning a preventive strike against Russia. When the presidents of the nuclear powers Russia and the US are shaping their policies in response to feelings of humiliation. In this context the military exercises on both sides are above all one thing: a warning to politicians not to get caught up in a balance of terror, but to put even more energy into placing relations on a different, more peaceful level.”
Sweden should finally join Nato
Sweden, which is officially non-aligned, is also participating in the manoeuvre since within the framework of Nato's Partnership for Peace Programme it has long had close ties with the Alliance. The country should overcome its reservations about joining the Alliance once and for all, writes Dagens Nyheter:
“Sweden does everything with Nato apart from actually joining it, because Social Democracy suffers from a logical blackout. ... However, Nato's collective security guarantees only hold for its members. If we were to formally relinquish our so-called non-aligned status among other things joint operative planning would also be possible. This, in turn, would be a step forwards in terms of defending [the Swedish Baltic island] Gotland. If it came to an attack on the Baltic, the island would play a crucial role. And giving Nato precedence over the Kremlin would no doubt be better than the opposite scenario.”