Can countries remain neutral in today’s Europe?

When Finland becomes a member of NATO, only a handful of European nations will not be militarily aligned.

Neutrality is under threat, according to its defenders, while opponents say it is a luxury that European states cannot afford.

The war in Ukraine has focused more attention on countries such as Switzerland, Ireland and Austria, which are still not militarily aligned.

Those countries have sanctioned Russia, but they do not get involved in the conflict, they do not send weapons or personnel to the battlefield.

Sweden and Finland, once bastions of neutrality, have applied to join NATO, with Finland set to become a member of the bloc in the coming days.

Does neutrality still matter? Or is it an outdated concept in today’s world?

Presenter: cyril vanier

Guests:

Jori Arvonen – President of the European Center of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats and former Finnish Under-Secretary of State for European Union affairs

Jean-Marc Rickli – Head of global and emerging risks at the Geneva Center for Security Policy and specialist in military policies of neutral and non-aligned European states

Richard Boyd Barrett – Member of the Irish Parliament representing the People Before Profit party and leader of the Irish anti-war movement.