Will Sweden join NATO?

It is well over 200 years since Sweden fought a war. The Kingdom of Sweden has no natural resources but for a little iron ore. As a northern land it is disfavoured in terms of agriculture. Despite its dearth of advantages Sweden is one of the most prosperous societies on earth. The Human Development Index rates Sweden as one of the most highly evolved nations. Further, it is also rated as among the happiest of the 193 countries in the world. How has Sweden accomplished such exceptionally results despite the absence of any minerals or much fertile land? I can answer in a word: peace.
Peace is the best economic policy. Other nations have beggared themselves fighting wars. Victory can be almost as ruinous as vanquishment. Victors over overtax their strength and finances. The United States has fought many wars. Consequently, it is the most indebted nation of all time. Even a victory can cause great social dislocation. The most imbecilic thing a regime can do is to fight and external war with a view to consolidating the status quo. That almost always fails in terms of consolidating the status quo even if victory in the war is achieved.
Since the Bernadotte dynasty was installed by Napoleon Bonaparte, Sweden has pursued a policy of the strictest neutrality. It has eschewed entangling alliances. Its espousments of a pacific policy is a marvel to behold. Its enviable level of development is directly attributable to the savings accrued by not fighting. Think of all the money that would have been expended had the Swedes lifted the sword. Moreover, no Swedes were slain, wounded or captured. Stockholm spared its people untold immiseration.
The policy of neutrality was also made possible by the establishment and maintenance of sturdy armed forces. Sweden was not naive. It knew it could not be a lamb to the slaughter. If Sweden were puny then it would be set upon by cruel and rapacious foes. The Swedes received military training from the best army in the world in the mid 19th century: the Prussian Army. That is why the Swedes maintain many Prussian traditions and even helmets for their show horse units. But drill is not enough. To provide a credible deterrent to any wouldbe aggressor, Sweden had to build up its armaments. Therefore, Sweden armed to the teeth. The country has an enviable armaments industry. People say it is highly hypocritical of the Swedes to preach a Gospel of peace whilst profitting from war by selling arms to all comers. It is a just criticism. The arms trade nets the country a tidy profit. It also ensures that Sweden has a viable arms industry to supply domestic needs. Sweden will be able to arm herself even if others should refuse to sell Sweden any weaponry.
In the First World War, Sweden refused to become invovled. Indeed, in 1917 socialists held a peace conference there. The Swedes were too proud to fight. They said the war was morally bankrupt. Both sides were as bad as each other. There was no clearcut moral principle. Both sides committed atrocities, sponsored insurrections and sought territorial aggrandisment. There were tyrannies on the Allied side and among the Central Powers.
In the Second World War, the Swedes also refused to fight. Sweden turned Nelson’s eye to German troops crossing their northern frontier en route to attack Soviet troops in Finland. The King of Sweden counselled against repelling the Germans. He was unwilling to bear the consequences.
Notwithstanding Sweden’s arguably immoral neutrality in WW2 there is no doubt that it was good for Sweden. Its saved Swedish lives. The first duty of the Swedish Government is to its own people and not to any foreign folk. Nonetheless, the Swedes did good and saved many foreigners. They took in many refugees from Norway and Danish Jews. German anti-Nazis found asylum and succour there. Count Folke Bernadotte was a scion Swedish royal house. He wentd to Berlin and parlayed with the Third Reich. He manage to secure the release of many Jews. With his white buses he saved many innocent lives. Raoul Wallenberg was another gallant Swede who did all he could to rescue Hungarian Jews. He was later abducted and murdered by another genocidal regime: the USSR.
Sweden managed to stay out of the conflagration by a combination of appeasement and dissuasion by means of beefing up the armed forces. Any potential invader knew that he would pay a very heavy price if he attacked. Germany knew it could conquer Sweden but concluded it was not worth it. What the Reich wanted from Sweden could be purchased and this was much cheaper than taking it by plunder.
In the Cold War Sweden refused to join NATO. Despite overtures from the USA, the Swedes declined to join. In the 1960s many Swedes protested against America’s war in Vietnam. Sweden was one of the few Western nations with an embassy in Hanoi. Swedes such as Olof Palme protested against racism in the United States. They did not automatically assume that the moral balance was in favour of the US in the Cold War.
There are two possible defence policies for a smallish country. Either enlist in a mighty alliance or else remain neutral. As Sweden was neutral the country decided that it must support the UN. If Sweden were aggressed it could only rely on the United Nations.
Swedish soldiers served bravely on UN peacekeeping missions. They served in Israel, the Congo and Cyprus.
In 1995 Sweden joined the European Union. That surprised some. The EU developed a defence identity. The European Rapid Reaction Force is arguably an army. So is the Eurocorps. Swedish neutrality has been impugned.
In 2022 Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Many thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been slain. Sweden along with the entire EU denounced the unlawful invasion. Sweden broke with two centuries of policy and sent arms to the Ukrainians.
Why are the Swedes reacting differently this time? Their country is not so far from Russia. Russia warships sail across the Baltic and into the Gulf of Bothnia. Only small stretches of Finland and Norway separate the Swedes from the Russian Federation. The Swedes fear that Russia is insatiable. Ukraine was attacked because it is not in NATO. They only way to assure Swedish security might be to join it.
The counterargument is that NATO would drag Sweden into avoidable wars. This could even be a nuclear war. NATO countries also had to send troops to Afghanistan.
In the early 18th century Sweden fought the Great Northern War against Russia. Putin remembers this and alluded to it in 2021. Finland was part of Sweden for centuries before being wrested by Russia.
Sweden was not always peaceable. There were Swedish Vikings who sailed the seven seas. They plundered many land. Sweden once ruled some of northern Germany and Poland. The Swedes fought the Battle of Poltava in what is now Ukraine. The Swedes formed common cause with the Ottomans against the Ruskies. Sweden had a colonial empire. This is often forgotten. There were a few Swedish trading posts on the coast of Africa and India. The Swedes are a seafaring nation. For a country of 10 000 000 with an enclosed coast they still have a formidable navy.
Sweden is now debating applying to NATO. Their friends the Finns are about to do so.
Enthusiasm for NATO is not so strong in Sweden. Neutrality has served Sweden well for a long time. It is unlikely that Sweden will join.
If Sweden joined it would make a significant contribution to NATO. Sweden has a strong economy and produces state of the art weapons. It would be a bitter blow to Russia. Putin fought this war to prevent NATO encorachment. If his war causes more countries to join NATO then it would underscore the imbecility of his criminous folly.
Suecophiles everywhere must hope that Sweden does what is right. Sweden has so much to offer the world.