The idea itself goes back to the end of the Second World War and its atrocities. In 1948 and 1949, the Nordic countries Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland discussed the proposition of a Scandinavian defensive alliance. In the end, these efforts were to no avail. Respective views on how a defense alliance ought to position itself with the powers in the West and the East — seen by Denmark’s and Sweden’s addition to NATO soon after and Sweden’s and Finland’s refusal of it — differed significantly, particularly in issues regarding collective defense in the event of an attack.

A good 75 years later, a Nordic defense union is still not in existence. Despite the futile attempts to establish a defense union, the Nordic states have long attempted to cooperate more closely on security policy, though still not always with the same goals and commitment.

Growing Security Cooperation Between the Scandinavian States

However, Russian aggression and associated threats have continued to intensify security cooperation between the countries. Most recently this was seen with the signing of a joint declaration of intend by Norway, Finland, and Sweden. Although the meeting’s memorandum does not mention Russia explicitly, the wording clearly refers to the pressure from Moscow, reading: “we live in unpredictable times with new challenges and threats that contribute to a feeling of insecurity in our societies, an increasingly challenging security situation both globally and in our neighborhood.”

Despite these shared sentiments, geopolitics dictates — at least for realists — the prioritization of individual security policy paths not only with a view to its own geostrategic situation but also to its experiences with neighbors and other countries or its own political culture, size and strength. It also hinges on the interdependencies, from NATO to the European Union. Moreover, Finland and Norway also share a border with Russia and all three have in common that their territory would serve as an inseparable area of ​​operations in the event of an EU conflict with Moscow.

What is Nordefco?

In 2009 Finland, Sweden, Norway joined forces with Denmark and Iceland to form the Nordic Defense Cooperation (Nordefco): the international war on terror cost strength, and the 2008 war in Georgia had aroused the fear of Russia, especially in Sweden and Finland. For years, however, the defense budget had not increased. Moreover, the NATO memberships of Denmark, Norway, and Iceland also sets limits to the project.

Success was nonetheless achieved, for example, with the joint training of the armed forces and military exercise. However various priorities such as the development of military capabilities and the coordination of defense plans did not come to fruition.

Nordefco’s focus has also changed. While the initial collaboration was focused on cost-effectiveness, the current phase, which began after the Ukraine war, is primarily dominated by security concerns. While Denmark relies primarily on NATO, Sweden increased its own defense budget significantly and reintroduced conscription. Stockholm also intensified cooperation with Finland and, in turn, both countries bonded together with NATO, which included participating in NATO exercises.

Security Cooperation Between Scandinavian Countries

Neither of them is striving for NATO membership. Instead, more attention is paid to Nordefco. Security cooperation between the Nordic countries is more important than ever due to Russia’s threat and due to China’s rise as an emerging power in the European part of the world and especially with a view to the Arctic region. In addition, there are uncertainties about the future of NATO under Trump’s presidency, should he manage to obtain a second term.

In 2018, Nordefco’s “Vision 2025” began, which asks for defense cooperation in peacetime and the event of a crisis or conflict. The memorandum just signed builds on the 2018 foundation but adds a layer to it via a joint strategic planning group that will be set up to coordinate cooperation satisfactorily.

However, this cooperation does not represent a legal obligation, especially not for assistance in an emergency. Instead, it is stated that Norway plans to hand over command to NATO. Therefore, the declaration is not a game-changer, but is still at least an attempt to proceed together for a desperately needed heightened security policy.

L'articolo Scandinavia’s Attempt to Answer the Russia Issue proviene da InsideOver.

As many European countries impose lockdowns on their populations to tackle the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, Sweden appears to be adopting a more relaxed approach.

How is Sweden Reacting to the Coronavirus Pandemic?

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven urged people to take responsibility and obey the Government’s advice during a televised speech on Sunday, which until last week was the same approach that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson adopted until dozens of Brits flocked to public venues last weekend.

The Swedish government’s recommendations include staying at home if you feel sick, working from home if you can, and to stay at home if you are aged 70 or over.

While Britain has left schools open for emergency workers to support the most vulnerable students, in Sweden schools and universities are only being advised to close their facilities and organize online lessons. The Swedish Parliament has also passed a bill to enable preschools and primary schools to be closed if absolutely necessary.

Numerous governments have closed pubs and restaurants, but the Swedish Government has done the opposite. Swedish venues would only be allowed to provide table service to avoid crowding. Like its EU counterparts, Sweden has closed its borders to non-necessary travel.

Is the Swedish Prime Minister Playing Russian Roulette?

The Swedish Government’s approach has been criticized by many health experts. Some of them have accused the Prime Minister of playing “Russian roulette” with the health of Swedes. Yet Sweden’s chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, has denied the country’s approach is to rapidly build group immunity to the virus. He defended the government’s core strategy, which is to slow the spread of the infection and ensure the health service has a reasonable workload.

However, the Guardian reports that Fredrik Elgh, a virology professor at Umeå University, and Joacim Rocklöv, a professor of epidemiology and public health at Umeå, are both concerned that Swedish politicians are failing to do more to slow the spread of the virus.

It is true that the number of Covid-19 cases in Sweden is rising. So far, there are 2,735 cases in the country and 66 deaths, including 16 people who have recovered. This could be the main reason why the Swedes are more relaxed about the coronavirus outbreak than other nations.

Could Sweden’s Case Count Rise Again?

The Swedish Public Health Agency (also known as the Folkhalsomyndigheten) and Health and Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren have defended the government’s approach and it seems like they will not be imposing more extreme measures for now, though they have not ruled out that option.

It remains yet to be seen whether this approach will work. The agency has also refused to make public risk assessments or prediction models for the spread of the virus. Tegnell believes that under these measures, the number of Covid-19 cases will slow in May, but will rise again in autumn.

Will Sweden’s Approach Work?

As Jasmine Andersson wrote for iNews, the reason why Swedes have not ignored the Folkhalsomyndigheten’s advice is because they have more faith in their health agency. One reason is that ministers cannot interfere in it. Sweden is a country famed for its world-leading public policy, which is why the relaxed approach still has potential there.

If Stockholm can curb the number of coronavirus cases in its country and retain the lax measures it has so far, it would prove that all the politicians who have adopted more draconian measures miscalculated the best way to deal with coronavirus. But if the country’s health agency and Löfven both get their joint approach horribly wrong, it has the potential to shatter trust in Sweden’s respected institutions. There is a lot at stake here and the eyes of the world will be watching this Scandinavian country closely for the first time.

L'articolo Why is Sweden Being More Relaxed Than Other Nations About Covid-19? proviene da InsideOver.