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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom ahead of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, November 28, 2023.

SAUL LOEB/Pool via REUTERS

Sweden is confident it will finally become a NATO member

Sweden’s top diplomat is optimistic that the nearly year-long delay in his country’s NATO accession caused by Turkey and Hungary will soon be over. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom says that Turkey could approve Sweden’s NATO membership “within weeks,” and he expects Budapest to follow Ankara’s lead.

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Model of natural gas pipeline and Finland flag, July 18, 2022.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Another Baltic pipeline whodunnit!

NATO on Wednesday pledged a “determined” response if recent damage to a critical pipeline linking two of its members is found to have been deliberate.

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Putin's Europe Problem
Putin Past the Point of No Return | Finland's Former PM Alexander Stubb | GZERO World

Putin's Europe Problem

We're proud to announce that GZERO has won the Silver Telly Award for general political commentary for this episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer (which was originally published online March 21, 2022.)

The West is already at war with Russia.

NATO boots may not be on the ground, but the US and its allies are helping Ukraine with arms and cash, and by upping the pressure on Moscow with tough sanctions. Vladimir Putin knows this, but he's fighting a 20th-century war in 2022 — and losing on global PR and social media.

Meanwhile, the ripple effects of the conflict are spreading well beyond Ukraine's borders. And one country watching very closely is Finland.

On this episode of GZERO World, Ian Bremmer talks to former Finnish PM Alexander Stubb, who explains why his country has gone from longtime neutral actor to NATO hopeful.

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Expect another Erdogan presidency for Turkey
Expect another Erdogan presidency for Turkey | Europe In :60 | GZERO Media

Expect another Erdogan presidency for Turkey

Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, shares his perspective from Stockholm, Sweden.

How was the outcome of the Turkish election?

Well, we haven't seen the end of it, but the first round, which was not decisive concerning the presidency. Erdogan just short of 50%, but his coalition did capture the majority in parliament and that will be decisive advantage when it goes to the second round for the presidency on May 28th. Erdogan managed to mobilize the nationalists more conservative, more sort of proud Turkish, somewhat more rural Turks against the more modern, Western, younger. We'll see. But in all likelihood, May 28th for Erdogan.

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Finland joins NATO in face off against Russia
Finland joins NATO, bolstering Russia's strategic foes | World In :60 | GZERO Media

Finland joins NATO in face off against Russia

Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.

With Finland officially joining NATO, what does it mean for Russia?

Well, this is exactly what Putin did not want to have happen, right? Ostensibly, the reason for his invasion into Ukraine was because Ukraine was moving towards NATO and that was unacceptable. Of course, now you've got 800 additional miles of border with very well-defended Finland, part of NATO as of today, facing off against Russia. This is just one of many examples, but a very important, not just symbolic, one of how Putin made a very serious misjudgment in the way the West would respond to that invasion.

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Putin's tragic genius: war crimes & isolated Russia
Former Finnish PM On His Eastern Neighbor | Alexander Stubb | Global Stage | GZERO Media

Putin's tragic genius: war crimes & isolated Russia

In a Global Stage delegate interview, on the ground in Davos, Ian Bremmer speaks to an old friend of the show, former Finnish PM Alexander Stubb. Stubb explains why Crimea is crucial for Ukraine's conception of "victory" against Russia and why Finland views its eastern neighbor with suspicion.

“If you have a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia, you always have be concerned because, as we can see, Russia is quite unpredictable,” he explains.

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Russian unpredictability & Finland's border threat
Russian Unpredictability & Finland's Border Threat | Alexander Stubb | GZERO World

Russian unpredictability & Finland's border threat

Finland isn't taking its eastern neighbor for granted. Yes, that means you, Russia.

Indeed, the Finns don't one of Europe's largest standing armies to defend themselves against Sweden, former PM Alexander Stubb tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World, on the ground in Davos.

“If you have a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia, you always have be concerned because, as we can see, Russia is quite unpredictable,” he explains.

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Podcast: Davos, meet humility: grappling with Russia & egregious violations of international law

Transcript

Listen: For the 53rd time, a tiny town called Davos in the Swiss Alps became the epicenter for discussion and debate about some of the biggest issues the world is facing. In total, 2700 leaders from 130 countries attended the 2023 World Economic Forum, including 52 heads of state. The big theme of the event this year: cooperation in a fragmented world. Is it possible?

On the ground at Davos, Ian Bremmer interviews two prominent participants on the GZERO World podcast. Former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb analyzes Crimea's crucial importance for Ukraine in the war against Russia, and explains how Finland views its aggressive eastern neighbor. Ian also speaks to Volker Türk, the newly-appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who shares very candid views about the Security Council's track record so far on Ukraine, and discusses the need for a UN unified stance on the treatment of women to ensure basic their human rights around the world, especially in countries like Afghanistan.

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