Not stuck in neutral: Sweden, Finland and NATO

Published: May 16, 2022, 10:16 a.m.

Neither Finland nor Sweden ever joined NATO, the Western military alliance formed in 1949: Finland for pragmatic reasons and Sweden for ideological ones. But Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine has prompted both to change course. Facebook\u2019s appeal is waning \u2013 to both users and investors. And for the first time, a telescope has captured images of the black hole at the centre of our galaxy. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer