Vol. 71/No. 22      June 4, 2007

The moves register an accelerating shift on the part of the two countries towards joining the U.S.-led transatlantic military alliance.

Since World War II, both Finland and Sweden have had a policy of “nonalignment.” Both ruling classes used this position in an effort to keep Finland from becoming a “buffer country” of the Soviet Union. The Swedish government maintained an official “neutrality” policy during and after the two world wars. This allowed Swedish capitalism to emerge from the war with its production apparatus intact and then use this image of neutrality to boost its trade in the semicolonial world during the Cold War period.

In 1994 the Swedish government began formal collaboration with NATO. Two years later in Yugoslavia, Swedish troops for the first time were put under NATO command. Today the Swedish and Finnish governments both have troops under NATO command in Kosova and Afghanistan.

Parallel with this, Stockholm began to reorganize its military from one structured around “invasion defense” to what the Swedish government calls a “deployment defense”—to allow the Swedish military to participate more actively in imperialist military interventions abroad.

Over the past decade, the U.S.-led military alliance has expanded to include the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia—where Sweden has substantial investments. Since the 2003 invasion, Stockholm has been effectively sidelined in Iraq for not joining the “coalition of the willing.” These things have put the question of NATO membership for Stockholm more sharply on the table for a growing section of the Swedish ruling class.

The naval exercise “Noble Mariner 2007” began on May 14. It involved 10,000 soldiers and 80 warships. Swedish and Finnish troops and ships participate in order to be certified to join the NATO Response Force.

In preparation, 43 ships and around 7,000 soldiers from 14 countries visited Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden for a conference in that city. They were met by a demonstration of 3,000 on May 12. It was organized by 30 political and peace organizations. Banners in the march read: “NATO out of Gothenburg”; “Defend Sweden’s nonalignment”; “NATO out of Sweden—For peace and nonalignment.”

Most organizations presented nationalistic reasons for opposition to the moves by Stockholm towards NATO membership, defending the traditional “neutral” position of the Swedish ruling class.

“We have to stand up for the dignity of our country and defend our nonalignment,” said Hans Linde, a member of parliament from the Left Party.

Tove Janzon of the Revolutionary Communist Youth called for Sweden to “form an independent policy and raise its voice against crimes against human rights committed by U.S.A. and NATO.”

In contrast the Communist League and the Young Socialists participated with a statement and the demands “No to Swedish membership in NATO and participation in NATO’s Response Force. Swedish troops out of Afghanistan, Kosova, Lebanon, and Congo!” (See statement on page 9.)
 
 
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No to Swedish membership in NATO!  
 
 
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