Right-wing Quran burning in Sweden enrages Turkey and throws a new wrench in Nordics NATO bid

Key Points

• It's now been eight months since Sweden and Finland declared their intent to join NATO, a move that upended the countries' longstanding policies of nonalignment following nearby Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• While most of the organization's members want to fast-track the new joiners' memberships, tensions and a fresh spat between Sweden and Turkey threaten to extend that waiting time by much longer.

Sweden and Finland have taken another step in joining NATO, meaning only a formal ratification of their accession agreement is now left.

Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

It's now been eight months since Sweden and Finland declared their intent to join NATO, a move that upended the countries' longstanding policies of nonalignment following nearby Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

While most of the organization's members want to fast-track the new joiners' memberships, tensions and a fresh spat between Sweden and Turkey threaten to extend that waiting time perhaps indefinitely.