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Glorious Pasts, Bright Futures: Sweden’s Foreign Policy From the Early 19th to the Early 21st Century

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Zander U.

Studia Europejskie-Studies in European Affairs

2025

vol. 29

issue 2

9-36

This article analyses Swedish foreign policy from the early 1800s to the present day. A recurring theme centres on discussions about non-belligerence and neutrality, which have by no means been undisputed ideals. Additionally, the article explores the signiﬁcant inﬂuence of Sweden’s historical experience, particularly the Swedish Great Power Era of the 17th and early 18th centuries, on shaping the country’s foreign policy. During the 20th century, references to old times have increasingly been replaced by shorter historical perspectives. In the post-war period, it can be argued with justiﬁcation that it was often hopes for a brighter future that governed the active foreign policy that combined neutrality and a far-reaching desire not to offend either side in the Baltic Sea region during the Cold War, while Swedish interference in the politics of foreign states was far-reaching when the geographical distance was great. The importance of non-alignment and neutrality was reinforced during the two World Wars, but these long-cherished ideals have been abandoned, partly because of the altered security policy landscape following the Russian attack on Ukraine in 2022.

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1 Studia Europejskie-Studies in European Affairs

1 Zander U.

1 2025

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Glorious Pasts, Bright Futures: Sweden’s Foreign Policy From the Early 19th to the Early 21st Century