I skuggan av kriget: Sveriges väg från militär allianfrihet till Nato : En studie om Sveriges utrikes-säkerhetspolitiska omläggning från militär alliandfrihet till Nato-medlemskap

Sammanfattning

The purpose of this study is to examine Sweden's foreign and security policy change from military non-alignment to membership in Nato through the perspectives of realism, liberalism, constructivism and the theory of foreign policy change. The study aims to create a broader understanding of the factors and processes that contributed to Sweden's decision to abandon a long standing policy of military non-alignment. The study is based on a qualitative case study employing content analysis of two Swedish foreign policy declarations. The results show that Sweden's Nato membership cannot be understood through a single explanatory model, but rather as the result of an interaction between changing security threats, institutional integration, identity-related changes. Russia's invasion of Ukraine functioned as the triggering factor behind the decision, although the process of change had begun long before 2022. The study thereby contributes to a broader understanding of how major foreign och security policy changes can be explained through the interaction between external and internal factors.