Why Sweden’s Path to NATO Membership Has Been So Rocky
“Why is Sweden not already a NATO member?”
“‘Sweden had to withdraw from Northern Europe’s power politics around 1809. We got a new French king, Bernadotte, and we withdrew because we were too weakened,’ Anna Wieslander, director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council, tells TIME. ‘Since then, we have kept that stance but it was never treaty bound for Sweden. It was always about navigating and maneuvering in European politics.’”
“What happens next?”
“’When you have disagreement on which allies to include in NATO, that weakens NATO politically and benefits Russia,’ says Wieslander.”
Further reading
Wed, Apr 26, 2023
A glimpse of Sweden in NATO: Gotland could be a game-changer for Baltic defense
New Atlanticist By
Sweden's largest military exercise in twenty-five years highlights the strategically important island of Gotland in defending NATO allies.
Fri, Jan 6, 2023
How allied Sweden and Finland can secure Northern Europe
Issue Brief By
NATO is approaching its ninth round of enlargement. The accession of Sweden and Finland—two solid democracies and defenders of the international-rules based order—into the Alliance will strengthen the core of the transatlantic community.
Fri, Jul 7, 2023
Will eleventh-hour diplomacy get Sweden into NATO by the Vilnius summit?
New Atlanticist By
At stake in Vilnius is not only the security of Sweden and the Alliance as a whole, but NATO’s open-door credibility.