Sveriges militära stöd till Ukraina : solidaritetspolitik eller proxyrelation? En teorikonsumerande studie på Sveriges utrikespolitiska relation till Ukraina

Sammanfattning

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the international communities’ rule-based world order has been turned upside down. Subsequently, the west has shown great interest in supporting Ukraine, with Sweden being amongst the largest contributors in Europe. However, the lack of direct military action arises the question of whether Sweden’s military support should be understood as a purely solidary act, or if its politics perhaps showcases characteristics of a proxy relationship in accordance with Amos C. Fox theories on modern proxy warfare? This study concludes, through a qualitative text analysis of Sweden’s five latest military care packages, that Swedish support displays characteristics associated with the ideal types of both proxy relationships and solidarity policy. On the one hand, the support has shown high levels of transparency and is recurringly justified as an extended, indirect deterrence of Russia towards Sweden and Europe. On the other hand, the study finds no clear indications that Sweden attempts to control the conflicts outcome through the support, in turn aligning more closely with solidarity policy. As a result, Sweden’s military support to Ukraine cannot be fully categorized towards either ideal type, rather, the relationship showcases a hybrid character situated between them. These results, paired with advice on future studies, contributes towards a wider application of existing large-state theory on small-state actors, as well as a greater understanding of modern proxy warfare.