On ‘NATO’s lake,’ Nordic allies worry about escalation with Russia

When Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022, it was hailed as the Baltic Sea’s transformation into “ a NATO lak e.” Since then, however, the sea has been less than placid, as confrontations with Russia and interference with undersea infrastructure have raised tensions to new heights. Sweden, Finland, and their allies now face a challenge in countering Russian behavior without stoking tensions further. “It’s a very difficult question, because you don’t want to escalate,” Maj. Gen. Peter Boysen, chief of the Danish army, said at the Association of the U.S. Army annual conference in…