Member-only story
Ukraine is the Carrot
Unraveling the Complexities and Implications of NATO Membership
What was expected out of the NATO 2023 Summit?
An unambiguous commitment to make Ukraine a member of NATO.
What did we get out of the NATO 2023 Summit?
An unambiguous indecisiveness.
The NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania did not yield the expected result. Ukraine does not have a clear path to become a NATO member. It was a huge surprise to many as it does not make any sense for NATO members to spend billions of dollars, openly declare that they will stay with Ukraine as long as it takes, and then turn around and say they are not fit to be invited to be part of the NATO coalition.
But that is exactly what happened. The signs were ominous as Western leaders prepared to meet in Lithuania. U.S. President Biden told reporters last month that “We won’t ‘make it easy’ for Ukraine to join NATO”. The insinuation was that Ukraine needs substantial reforms before joining NATO.
When Portugal joined NATO in 1949, it was ruled by the authoritarian Estado Novo regime led by António de Oliveira Salazar. Portugal was a founding member of NATO. Salazar’s dictatorship lasted from 1933 to 1974, all the while they were part of NATO.
