The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officially added a new member state on Wednesday as Sweden became the 32nd country to join the alliance.
The entry of the Scandinavian country, which borders Russia, comes two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the biggest war on the European continent since World War II.
“This is a historic day. Sweden will now take its rightful place at NATO’s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “After over 200 years of non-alignment Sweden now enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of Allies’ freedom and security.”
Article 5 ensures that member states are protected from attacks by requiring all member states to come to the aid of any country that is attacked. The only time that Article 5 has ever been activated was after Islamic…
