Page:The Effects of Finland's Possible NATO Membership - An Assessment.pdf/56

 territorial contiguity between the new member and the Alliance. A Swedish unilateral move could lead to a return to a Cold War scenario, whereby Finland would have to tread carefully to maintain a reasonable balance between Russia and the Alliance and rely upon Sweden to act as a bridge. This, in turn, would also involve serious diplomatic and other challenges for Stockholm.

A Finnish – and Swedish – application for membership of the Alliance is an issue of great strategic importance, not only for the possible applicant countries but also for the Alliance. It is, in essence, a question of grand strategy, which has to be considered thoroughly. Small nations do not often change their basic foreign policy guidelines. They are more dependent on continuity than great powers. Any change would also need a domestic consensus for it to gain legitimacy at home and abroad. 56