Debating the Nuclear Question : Swedish Party Positions on Joining NATO as a Nuclear Alliance

Sammanfattning

Why did Sweden join NATO despite the potential dilemma of being part of a nuclear alliance, particularly given many political parties' previous support for non-alignment and nuclear disarmament? While much research has already focused on Sweden's NATO accession and its evolving security policy, less attention has been given to how the political parties came to depart from their commitment to non-proliferation. This study conducts a qualitative content analysis of two parliamentary debates from 2023 and 2024, using an analytical framework based on the two main theories in International Relations: realism and liberalism. The results show that the parties opposing this shift in Swedish nuclear arms policy, the Left Party and the Green Party, have a more liberal approach to nuclear weapons, whereas those supporting accession to a nuclear alliance, the centre-right parties and the Social Democrats, rely more on realist arguments. The findings highlight the importance of realist ideas behind the shift on Swedish security policy, while also pointing to rising tensions surrounding nuclear weapons in Swedish political debate.