Finland's membership is a weighty decision that comes with serious and solemn defense responsibilities for the rest of the alliance.
Simply stated: the larger the alliance is, the more territory its member states will need to defend in the event of a security crisis. By granting Finland membership, the U.S. and the rest of the alliance are in effect saying they are willing to fight a war with Russia, even a potentially nuclear one, in order to defend Finnish territory.
This wouldn't be as big of an issue if responsibilities within the alliance were spread out evenly among its members. But this has never been the case. Most of the burden lies on Washington's shoulders. It is the U.S. that is often called to duty and expected to lead the response, with token European military support. The crisis in Ukraine is no different; the U.S.
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