Evening star., 1940-03-15
Union for STRENGTH

The fate of Finland has driven
home to Scandinavia with greater
force than any other development
in Europe's wars the advisability of
a defensive union with Finland
which might serve in the future to
ward off attacks upon any one of
them and thereby prevent the piece
meal conquest of the northern
neutralS.
Russia's expansion in Northern
Europe has come to a halt, at least
for the moment; how long it will
remain static no one, probably not
even Dictator Stain himself, can
say, so subject is the whole question
to the day-to-day developments In
the conflict between Germany and
the allies.
Certainly if Russia is embroiled
along with Germany in Southeastern
Europe or in the Near East the likeli-
hood OF simultaneous drive in the
north will diminish. If, however, Ger
many finds difficulty in drawing
upon the resources of Scandinavia
and Finland or meets an allied
offensive to cut her lifelines to those
countries Russia may join forces with
the Reich, thereby menacing Sweden
and Norway from the new positions
she holds in Finland.
In that event, the SWedes and
Norwegians now appear to realize,
Scandinavia and Finland must stand
or fall together. But translation of
this conception into reality, desirable
as that may appear to others, would
mean a revolution in the policies Of
Stockholm and Oslo, which have been
to pursue independent, but CORE
lated, courses without commitment
to mutual assistance pacts.
The principle of a unified and
common policy hitherto has been
rejected, and the Scandinavian gov
ernments have made it clear that
the involvement of any one of them
In war would not necessarily mean
the involvement of the others. There
is evidence now that the narrow
outlook is being discarded for a
broader and more far-sighted ap-
proach to mutual problems, and
Stockholm and Oslo have stated
their readiness to discuss, at least,
a defensive alliance with the Films.
Many formidable obstacles to such
an alliance have yet to be overcome.
Chief of all questions is the point at
which the alliance would come into
operation, and how far into the diplo-
matte field the principle of common
action would be carried. Certainly if
the northern countries intended to
fight together their diplomacies would
have to be welded into a unit.
1t is this common diplomatic as
well as military front which would
influence greatly the strategy Of
both the allies and Germany toward
the neutrals. London, Paris and
Berlin would be dealing not with
three separate policies and three
separate entities, but with solid
bloc, supported, in event of war, by
united military strength. Both sides
obviously would bend greater efforts
to win the favor of the northern
allies, whose hand in wartime
power politics would be measurably
strengthened.
The effect of northern alliance
can be discussed now only in the
most general terms, for the specific
provisions have yet to be worked
out. But first steps have been taken
toward union; how far they will
lead will be determined by how
firmly convinced the Swedish and the
Norwegian governments finally be-
come that their best chance to
escape the ravages of war is to ac-
quire the strength which only union
can give.