Finland’s President, Prime Minister Back NATO Membership

President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said Finland “must apply” (FT) for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) within days. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Finland’s accession process would be “smooth and swift” (Reuters). A Kremlin spokesperson said Finland’s accession would pose a threat to Russia. It would more than double NATO countries’ land border with Russia.

Finland is expected to submit a formal application to join the alliance next week, while Sweden’s ruling Social Democratic Party is expected to decide on applying on Sunday. Yesterday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed agreements to provide Finland and Sweden with military resources if they were attacked during the NATO ratification process.

Analysis

“Given Finland’s long-standing membership in the [European Union (EU)] community and defense ties with NATO, to join the alliance officially seems more like a logical next step than a sea change, but [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s reaction remains unpredictable. In the face of that unpredictability, it is probably safer for Finland to be inside the alliance than out,” Barnard College’s Kimberly Marten writes for Foreign Affairs.

“After decades of neutrality so stringent the country became a byword for it, Finland—which has a 1340km border with Russia—is applying to join NATO. Yet more blowback from Moscow’s war in Ukraine,” the Financial Times’ Max Seddon tweets.

This Backgrounder examines NATO.

Pacific Rim

ASEAN Leaders Attend Summit in Washington

Leaders of countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) begin a two-day summit in Washington (SCMP) that includes meetings with U.S. lawmakers and President Joe Biden. They could discuss (CNBC) details of the White House’s economic framework for the Indo-Pacific.

For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR’s Joshua Kurlantzick lays out what to watch for at the U.S.-ASEAN summit.

North Korea: Pyongyang ordered a national lockdown (Bloomberg) after reporting the country’s first COVID-19 case. Many experts had doubted North Korea’s previous claim of not having any cases.

South and Central Asia

UN to Discuss Taliban Order for Women to Cover Faces

The UN Security Council and special envoy for Afghanistan will hold a closed-door briefing (The National) about the Taliban policy, which hearkens back to the group’s previous hard-line rule of Afghanistan.

Sri Lanka: A court banned (PTI) former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, his son, and fifteen of his allies from leaving the country while they are investigated in connection to attacks on anti-government protesters.

Middle East and North Africa

EU, Qatari Officials Travel to Tehran for Talks to Save Nuclear Deal

Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, arrives in Tehran today (Al-Monitor). The EU’s chief nuclear deal negotiator met with Iran’s deputy foreign minister yesterday.

This Backgrounder looks at the status of the Iran nuclear deal.

Lebanon: A report from the UN rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights blamed Lebanon’s central bank and banking sector (FT) for “unnecessary immiseration of the population” caused by their role in Lebanon’s economic crisis.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Germany Shifts Focus of West Africa Military Deployments

Germany moved hundreds of soldiers (AP) from Mali to Niger and said it will shift its support in Mali from a European mission to a UN one. The moves come amid fears that Malian forces trained by the EU could begin working with Russian mercenaries reportedly operating in Mali.

Guinea: The country’s military junta announced a three-year plan (AFP) to transition back to civilian rule, shortening a previous plan by three months.

Europe

EU Drops Mask Requirement for Air Travel

Beginning on Monday, the EU will no longer require (BBC) people to wear masks on flights and in airports within the bloc.

Americas

Report: Migrant Disappearances Quadrupled in Mexico in 2021

The Jesuit Migrant Service, a human rights organization, calculated that 349 migrants disappeared (Reuters) in Mexico last year, up from 89 in 2020.

Argentina/France: Argentine President Alberto Fernandez is set to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron (MercoPress) in Paris today. Yesterday, Fernandez and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz issued a joint statement calling for diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine.

United States

Biden Hosts Virtual COVID-19 Summit

The summit is expected to focus on (Politico) boosting funding for global vaccination initiatives, COVID-19 treatments, and pandemic preparedness.

This Backgrounder examines global COVID-19 vaccine efforts.

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