Anna Wieslander

  • Director, Northern Europe
  • Assistant email: cagard@atlanticcouncil.org
  • Media queries: press@atlanticcouncil.org

Events

All Content

In the News

Jun 22, 2026

Northern Europe Office workshop report published: “A stronger Europe in NATO – the way forward”

On 21 April 2026, the Atlantic Council’s Northern Europe Office and the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs jointly hosted a workshop at the Government Offices in Stockholm focusing on a stronger Europe in NATO and the way forward. The workshop was aimed at officials at the Government Offices, members of parliament and Swedish experts, while […]

Northern Europe Security & Defense

In the News

May 28, 2026

Wieslander quoted in Politico

Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe, was featured in a Politico article on Thursday, May 28, commenting on the security situation and the recent Swedish military exercise on Gotland, the strategically located Swedish island in the Baltic Sea. Interviewed by Politico’s Victor Jack, Wieslander highlighted that Gotland has faced an increasing frequency of Russian hybrid […]

Northern Europe Security & Defense

In the News

May 22, 2026

Wieslander in Swedish media during NATO Helsingborg meeting

On Friday, May 22, Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe, was interviewed on SVT morgonstudion, the radio program Studio Ett, and the national news program Aktuellt following the conclusion of NATO’s Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Helsingborg. Appearing alongside former Swedish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt on Aktuellt, Wieslander discussed the outcome of the […]

Northern Europe Security & Defense

Dr. Anna Wieslander serves as director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council and head of the Atlantic Council office in Stockholm. She is also chair of the Institute for Security and Development Policy, a Stockholm-based think tank with a focus on Central Asia and Asia. She is a lifetime member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences and the Swedish Society for International Affairs. She is an adjunct professor at George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, a founding member of the Alphen Group, and a member of RUSI European Security Advisory Group. 

Dr. Wieslander is a frequent keynote speaker, lecturer, and panelist at international conferences and comments in national and international mass media, such as the New York Times, BBC, Times Radio, Politico, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times. She also publishes extensively related to current international affairs.

Dr. Wieslander previously served as secretary general of the Swedish Defence Association, a nonpolitical nongovernmental organization which for more than 130 years has promoted knowledge on defence and security among the Swedish public. Her previous positions include deputy director at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, head of the speaker’s office in the Swedish Parliament, secretary of the Swedish Defence Commission, and deputy director of the Swedish Defence Ministry. She has also served as communications director in the private sector. 

Dr. Wieslander holds a PhD in political science from Lund University and a degree in journalism from Gothenburg University. Her expertise covers security and defence policy, Northern Europe security, NATO and defence industry.