The Swedes want to join NATO, but not so hastily

The war in Ukraine has translated into a wave of support for Sweden’s membership in NATO, and the announcement of her candidacy is expected in the coming days. However, there are many, elected or ordinary citizens, who distinguish some studies.

“Everyone would like to have more time, because it is a huge issue,” former Social Democrat Prime Minister Stephane Leven told AFP. “At the same time, we know that we do not always have the time we want.”

On its way to NATO, Stockholm seemed to follow others. The idea of ​​a candidacy was not really imposed until it became clear that neighboring Finland was going to take this step.

An image, in which Sweden is depicted as Mr. Bean who is caught shamelessly copying from his Finnish neighbor, has gone viral during the talks.

“I wish Finland could wait too,” former Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrμm told AFP.

“It’s a recurring issue that worries us. We would like to have more time to discuss, to listen to the delegates and to argue,” said Wallstrρεm, who has changed her mind for a long time. NATO membership.

Historically opposed to membership, Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson’s party is expected to announce a change of line the day after tomorrow, Sunday, paving the way for a candidacy for the Nordic country, which has been out of military alliances for more than two centuries.

However, both during the internal consultation and at national level, criticisms were voiced that the debate was a sham and aimed at aligning with the Finnish decision.

“It is not Sweden that controls the timetable, but Finland, because it’s the one that has a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia,” said Anders Lindbergh, a political editor for Aftonbladet and a Social Democrat.

The change is even more significant because Sweden “built its identity on its neutrality” and then on joining the Non-Aligned Movement, the analyst notes.

“Thank you” Finland

The Nordic country has not had a war on its territory since the beginning of the 19th century, when it renounced military alliances after the Napoleonic period.

Accustomed to taking decisions after lengthy cabinet meetings to reach a consensus, the country was forced to react urgently this time, with a NATO accession report released today by parliamentary parties after just a few weeks of work.

For military security experts, Swedish officials can only blame themselves for this, as they have avoided putting the issue of NATO on the table too much.

“Before, the Swedish Social Democrats always said, ‘We will think about it when Finland joins.’ Because they believed that Finland would never join,” said Elizabeth Bro, a Scandinavian defense expert at the American Enterprise Institute.

Finland, for its part, had theorized a “NATO option”, that is, the possibility of joining the alliance quickly in the event of a need and political consensus.

“People and organizations that until recently refused to discuss NATO are responsible for this situation,” said Robert Dalsjie, a researcher at the Swedish Defense Research Institute (FOI).

“So yes, it is moving fast. But it is moving fast because it is a matter of national security (…) We can not delay indefinitely because some people were not previously interested in the issue,” he said.

For others, Finland provided the best possible service to Sweden by accelerating the move towards the North Atlantic Alliance.

The Swedes, who with some condescension call their other Scandinavian neighbors, who have a smaller population, “little brothers”, this time found themselves in the role of the “little one”.

“Without Finland, Sweden would never have joined NATO. Thank you, big brother!” Was the headline in the Expressen newspaper on Thursday.

Source: AMPE