Geopolitical Analysis of the Entry of Finland and Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has significantly altered the pattern of alliances and geopolitical balances on the European continent to such an extent that countries like Finland and Sweden that have traditionally remained neutral are now applying to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO).These two countries fear that Russia,which is currently trying to reposition itself,could try in the near future to invade these two Nordic countries to prevent the West(European Union,United Kingdom,and United States)from increasing its military presence and its military force in the Scandinavian peninsula and in the Baltic Sea.The enlargement that the European Union(EU)has carried out since the 1990s,and that has also meant the expansion of NATO,has been viewed with great concern by the government of Vladimir Putin,who considers that the United States and the European Union did not fulfill their commitment to former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev to respect the sphere of influence of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR).Within the framework of this geopolitical confrontation,Helsinki and Stockholm do not want to run the risk of being invaded by the Russian army,which is why they seek to take advantage of the principle of collective security that NATO membership would grant them.

Asian-led Collective Security Architecture for the Gulf

Seldom does the literature and discussion on Gulf-Asia relations go beyond the expanding economic ties between the oil-rich producers and some of the biggest energy consumers.Exploring the‘what next’dimension of this engagement reveals tentative but interesting attempts to diversify towards‘strategic’cooperation that offer alternative possibilities for Gulf security and stability in the long term.An Asian-led initiative offers Washington a perfect stage to remain relevant even as its political-security interest and influence wanes in the Gulf.The same applies to Europe,which has long sought to reestablish its influence in the region.This paper explores these issues and rationalises the need for an Asian-led collective security architecture for the Gulf.

A Comprehensive Security Regime in the Gulf Region: Prospects and Challenges

In international politics,regional initiatives to establish peace and security have been recognised as more appropriate and pragmatic in the present complex interconnected interdependent security scenario.Regional security regimes initiated and promoted both by regional and extra-regional powers for resolving,preventing and managing crises that had grown and nurtured in the regional landscape.Conceptually,comprehensive security regimes,the hybrid of both idealist and realist schools of thought of international relations,are preferably the unique one among all other security regimes.The best example of a comprehensive security regime is the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.Practically,the dynamic nature of Gulf regional security has become a matter of discourse to ponder upon whether the region is transforming itself on various fronts or whether regional security regimes should be explored to overcome the ongoing multiple security challenges on multidimensional aspects.Scholars have recognised Gulf security as a sub-regional security complex of a larger area which must be dealt with separately.Thus,using this conceptual framework the paper attempts to explore the feasibility of the establishment of a comprehensive security regime in the Gulf Region which can address all three levels of insecurity,regional,state and individual thereby transcend the state-centric approach to security and create security based on multi-sum principles and not on zero-sum calculations.