Few anticipated that Russian President Vladimir Putin would act on his threat to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Even fewer anticipated that the United States, the European Union, and their major democratic partners would respond with such resolve.
Witness the power of a fully armed and operational liberal democratic community. With shocking speed, it has substantially decoupled from the Russian economy, thereby cutting the country off from many of the benefits of liberal economic order; seized the yachts of some Russian kleptocrats and promised to hunt down their overseas wealth; aggressively preempted Russian disinformation, and cracked down on Russian propaganda outlets. Germany not only joined many of its NATO allies in supplying Ukraine with military aid but also committed to boost defense spending above two percent of its gross domestic product. In the wake of the invasion, it is no longer a matter of whether but rather how Finland and Sweden will enhance their military ties with NATO and the United States.
