Sweden Debates Neutrality After Air Fighters Sent to Libya

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Politicians in Sweden are debating their country's foreign policies, particularly following the recent deployment of air fighters in Libya. The question on everyone' lips- can Sweden be considered truly a neutral country. Our correspondent in Stokholm has more.


Is Sweden a neutral nation?

That question is under debate in Sweden right now after Sweden sent air fighters to support the NATO-led operation in Libya.

With an EU membership and with military support to NATO, it seems hard to claim neutrality.

Sweden has been neutral for hundreds of years but that has gradually changed.

[Tomas Ries, National Defense College, Stockholm]:
"One thing one has to remember is that Sweden has been neutral for 200 hundred years and it's very successful years in some ways. Sweden was not involved in any wars and Sweden built a very prosperous society, so neutrality is associated very positively in Sweden. I don't know actually how many among the public believe that Sweden is neutral. Sweden is non-allied and that is the slogan that is used in public."

Swedish forces have been training in NATO and EU-led operations for a long time.

Critics say these alliances make it hard for Sweden to act independently in its foreign policies.

[Torbjörn Björlund, Member of the Committee on Defense, The Left Party]:
"We are part of training and operation with the EU and it means often we do it with NATO because NATO is a big part of the security operation in EU. It shouldn't be like that but it's like that practically. I'm afraid that we soon will be part of NATO even formally. I think that would be a big mistake because then we could lose that other voice that have been the Swedish voice for people's rights and human rights all over the world."

Some say that one cannot be neutral and that the term is not used correctly.

[Hans Wallmark, Member of the Committee on Defense, The Moderate Party]: (Swedish male)
"We are not in any alliance but as a country we are not neutral because we take a stance in conflicts. We are for some regimes and against other regimes. We are against Kaddafi in Libya but we are for the Libyan people."

It's unlikely that Sweden will officially join a military alliance in the near future.

This is due to a long history of not being in military alliances and the fact that it is a sensitive issue in domestic politics.

NTD News, Stockholm

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[exxalte]

cry more.. chineese- fast to judge.. lol ... sweden is allied with itself.. I hear bullshit i this chanel and if a group of rightwings do this for their goal to promote themselves within themselves.... they cant do shit in shortterm are doing their stuff on longterm like decades- you might think chineese with long history should know but no..