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Political Economy

Fact: The support for NATO membership

Question: Do you think that Sweden should join the NATO defence alliance, or do you think it should not?
Yes, Join - 29 percent (men: 40 percent, men: 18 percent)
No, Don't join - 32 percent (men: 33 percent, women: 31 percent)
Undecided / Do not know - 39 percent (men: 27 percent, men: 51 percent)

Gradual shift in Swedish public perception in its military preparedness - more people support the country joining NATO

Friday, 18 January 2013
Sweden has been playing the game of 'hit and duck' in terms of military activities - at one point it will support a war (Libya and Afghanistan) and even take part in it and at one other point, it will be against any military involvement especially when its allies want her to be part. One driver for double personality of the country's military engagement is that the country wants to seen as non-aligned and public disdain for militarism. Now this perception is changing with much of the public shifting towards NATO.

A two week of fairly intense debate on defence issues in Sweden, where the question of the role of NATO was discussed and where Sweden stood in all that seem to have affected the Swedish public opinion. In a new public opinion conducted for Swedish television by polling organisation Sifo, 1500 people were asked if they think Sweden should join the NATO military alliance.

The result was surprisingly impressive, 29 percent said Yes, 32 said No, and the rest did not know. The responses although not showing a victory here, it shows, however, that significantly more people than before want the country to join NATO. In a Sifo survey conducted in May 2011, 22 percent were in favour while 50 percent were against.

This comes after NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, appeared at a conference last Tuesday and said that all NATO countries would welcome Sweden and Finland to the club if they applied for membership. He made it clear then that Sweden cannot count on NATO's support if attacked and warned Sweden that it should not keep on benefiting from NATO and not being part of the organisation.

"I think everyone in Sweden know that there is a difference between being and not being a member. You cannot be outside NATO, while taking advantage of all that NATO provides," Anders Fogh Rasmussen said last Tuesday.

"This is an issue of principle, the military alliances are extremely important to us. We will not advocate a Swedish membership for NATO," says Peter Hultqvist Social Democratic defense policy spokesperson, to Swedish television.

But all of the three smaller political parties think that a possible NATO membership should be investigated by the Swedish Defence in the spring, something that both the defence minister and the Social Democrats disagree to.

Sweden participate fully in the NATO's various operations and that is considered a natural step and they feel that eventually they are more of a members and "exerts power and responsibility," Jan Björklund of the Swedish people's party said to Swedish television.
by Scancomark.com Team

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