Att vara med eller stå utanför

Debatten om den svenska alliansfrihetens ”vara eller icke vara” under drygt hundra år

Abstract

Participation or standing apart – a discussion of whether Swedish non-alignment should ‘be or not be,’ traced over more than a century

The article problematizes the notion that Sweden suddenly broke with a long and coherent tradition when it chose to join a security alliance in 2022–2023, following more than 200 years of peace and a prolonged period of neutrality and nonalignment. Instead, the study argues that these decisions should be understood as part of a longer history of recurring strategic reassessments. It focuses on four key periods when Sweden faced decisive choices: prior to joining the League of Nations (1920), the United Nations (1945–46), the European Community (1990–91), and NATO (2022–2023). In addition, a longer transitional period during the Cold War is examined.

The study contributes to research on Swedish foreign and security policy in two ways. First, it demonstrates how debates over international membership have historically been shaped by a combination of principled and pragmatic arguments. Second, it places the 2022 NATO application within a broader historical context of recurring strategic reassessments. By analyzing the arguments presented at these critical junctures, as well as during the Cold War, the study nuances the image of a consistent Swedish tradition of neutrality. Instead, it reveals a foreign policy that has continuously moved between principled conceptions of the role of a small state and more pragmatic security considerations.