After centuries of neutrality, Sweden this year became the 32nd member of NATO, a decision triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In addition to adding a highly capable military force to the transatlantic alliance, the move fundamentally changes the security equation in the Baltic Sea region and northern Europe.
It also adds a new member state that has been a leading force in supporting Ukraine’s defense, resisting Russian aggression, and assisting democratic forces in Belarus.
So how does the West’s standoff with Russia look from Stockholm as Sweden becomes NATO’s newest member? In a special on-the-road episode of The Power Vertical Podcast recorded on the margins of the Stockholm Conference on Belarus, host Brian Whitmore speaks with veteran Swedish diplomat Fredrik Lojdquist, director of the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies in the Swedish Institute of International Affairs to unpack it all. Enjoy…
SHOW NOTES
Fredrik Lojdquist’s published work can be accessed here.The work of the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies can be accessed here.