Sweden and the World

Sweden cooperates with the other Nordic countries — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway — mainly through the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers, where the countries agree on various issues that each country can then implement. The EU (European Union) is a political and economic partnership between several European countries that began after the Second World War to create peace and stability in Europe; Sweden has been a member since 1995. EU countries cooperate in many areas such as agriculture, the economy, the environment, trade, and migration, make joint decisions, and draft laws that apply in all member states. An important idea behind the EU is that the countries become stronger together through the four freedoms: that people can study, move, work, and sell goods freely between countries — for example, all EU citizens can work or study in another EU country. Sweden is also a member of the Council of Europe, a European organization founded in 1949 that works for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, and which runs, among other things, the European Court of Human Rights (Europadomstolen).

Sweden has been a member of the United Nations (UN) since its founding in 1945 after the Second World War, as have almost all countries in the world. The UN's purpose is to preserve peace and security in the world, resolve conflicts and stop wars, work for the equal value and self-determination of all peoples, and work for human rights and freedoms. Sida (the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) is a government agency that works to reduce poverty and oppression in the world — through Sida, Sweden supports other countries in developing democracy, gender equality, the economy, and a sustainable society.

Sweden has a long history of peace: the country last went to war against another state in the early 1800s. In a war against Russia in 1808–1809, Sweden lost Finland, which had been part of Sweden for almost 700 years, and a few years later Norway was forced into a union with Sweden as a result of the Napoleonic Wars — Norway later became an independent state through peaceful means in 1905. After these events, Swedish policy has been focused on avoiding new wars. After the Second World War, the world and Europe entered a Cold War, a conflict between a Western bloc (led mainly by the USA) and an Eastern bloc (with the Soviet Union and its allies), which threatened each other with nuclear weapons and strong military powers. Denmark and Norway joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), while Sweden remained neutral and chose to stay outside NATO.

In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended, which changed the security situation in Europe. Sweden joined the EU in 1995 and became more integrated into European cooperation. When Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, concern about security in the Nordic region increased, and Sweden and Finland chose to apply for NATO membership at almost the same time — a defense alliance aimed at protecting its member states. Sweden became a member in 2024.

Sweden is responsible for protecting the country and its residents. Everyone who lives in Sweden and is between 16 and 70 years old can be required to help defend the country if needed — this is called total defense duty (totalförsvarsplikt). Sweden's total defense (totalförsvaret) includes both the military defense and the civil defense. The military defense consists of the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten): the army, the navy, and the air force, which are meant to protect Sweden's territory and independence and also be able to take part in international operations. Sweden has universal conscription (allmän värnplikt), covering all men and women who have turned 18 — they answer questions and take tests, and it is then decided who will be considered for basic military training; only some of them go on to complete the training. Civil defense means that more than just the military must be able to meet threats and challenges in society — civil defense includes activities meant to ensure that schools, work, and health care can continue to function during war or crisis. The Swedish Armed Forces' mission is to strengthen both military and civil defense in order to increase resilience and deter potential aggressors.