The chances are "nearly 50-50" that all three Baltic countries

The chances are "nearly 50-50" that all three Baltic countries -- and not just one -- could be invited to join the NATO defense alliance during the Prague Summit in 2002, writes Pentti Sadeniemi , a columnist for the Finnish daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. And if Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania join, the move could open the door to both traditionally neutral Sweden and cautious Finland to enter the NATO fold. Writes Sadeniemi, " if the Balts do join, then the platform for discussion in Finland will change." Russia's reaction, meanwhile, is hard to predict, the columnist says. Russia might accept that it has no veto over NATO expansion in the Baltic Rim, Sadeniemi suggests, or might find recourse in adopting American foreign policy strategy: "Don't get mad, get even."