With the first vårljuset will diplomatic corps to parliament. Strict face ambassadors and their staff, filling the parliamentary chamber, like the first flocks of migratory birds. They span the gaze and the lace ears for that sort of consensus and conflict in the Swedish foreign policy and looking for news in the government’s utrikesdeklaration.
the foreign minister’s offensive for democracy. ”We want to do this jointly with the parliament, and will work to more countries”, said Margot Wallström, after having described how the nationalists and the extremists are challenging the political system in Europe . ”We can no longer take for granted that all EU members believe in the values that underpin european co-operation”. Margot Wallström, immediately received the support of the opposition. The conservatives new foreign policy spokesperson Hans Wallmark underlined the conservatives concern over, inter alia, the rule of law in Poland, journalistmordet in the Slovak republic, and rhetoric in Hungary.
There will be a red thread in the debate ahead of the elections to the EUROPEAN parliament in may.
But mainly felt enough diplomats again. The two researchers at the institute of Foreign affairs Björn Fägersten, Björn and Jerdén have studied eight years of foreign policy declarations. Half of them were read up by moderaten Carl Bildt and half of the social democrat Margot Wallström. Their conclusion is that ”the foundations of american foreign policy – interests, values, tools, and conditions – has not changed significantly over the last eight years.”
But you see it over a longer period of time, there has been a big shift. Much has changed since the Olof Palme days, then the support to national resistance movements and the sharp criticism of the two supermakternas military intervention was on the agenda.
together with the united states during Natoflagg abroad and the government is close to military cooperation with individual nato countries, and with the whole Nato.
But the two skepnaderna that traditionally has characterized american foreign policy, and yet both survived. The moral superpower as in Palmes days stood so high in the course are visible also in these days. when Sweden signed the convention to ban nuclear weapons, unlike the countries we cooperate militarily with.
And when the Swedish government recognised Palestine, but to have anchored itself in the parliament, it was also the activist moral politics that stepped forward.
is much grayer. It is maktpolitikern, the one who sees life in the geopolitical patterns and seeking alliances. Realpolitik was also in Palme’s time, even if the alliance is to the west then was hidden for the people during the speech on the policy of neutrality.
It is the one we see when Sweden, Finland and the united states go in military cooperation with the new military cooperation agreement. S government in other contexts criticize the right-wing populists, but when it comes to geopolitics has defence minister Peter Hultqvist (S) no issues whatsoever with sannfinländaren Jussi Niinistö in Helsinki or with the Trumpregeringen in Washington.
Minister for foreign affairs Margot Wallström revealed in utrikesdeklarationen that the government should take a new disarmament initiatives. She had several questions during the debate if the government will proceed to ratify the convention on the prohibition of nuclear weapons as Sweden have already signed. The four bourgeois parties discourage it, as well as a governmental investigation.
the Question is if it will be the moral superpower or the gray pragmatikern that determines whether Sweden will be one of the few countries that ratify the convention. Most likely the latter. The more dangerous the world becomes, the more important it is to have friends. And the Swedish friends are, for the most part in alliance with Nato, with the countryside on including the nuclear deterrent.
