För Sverige – med livet som insats. Afghanistankriget, döden och demokratin.

Abstract

Title: Death, Democracy and the Swedish Afghanistan War

Summary: Five Swedish soldiers lost their lives in Sweden’s military operation in Afghanistan (2002–2014). When citizens are killed in battle, justification of the individual sacrifice becomes essential. For which values/for whom can the democratic state require its citizens to risk their lives? The purpose of this article is to analyse ideas and representations that support public discourse and constructions of meaning connected to the Swedish losses. The democratic implications of these constructions are also discussed. The results show that specific notions of gender and nation are central in the discourse. These notions limit what political positions and atti- tudes that become possible. National historical genealogies, as well as gender ideals and family norms, frame military operations as “natural” and existential rather than political. Discourse is marked by emotions rather than by debate and deliberation. The democratic discussion of military casualties and war-making is thereby constrained and critical perspectives become difficult to formulate.