Sweden Shouldn’t Be Scared to Say ‘No’ to NATO Membership

It’s a bad idea for Sweden to become a NATO member; instead the Scandinavian nation should keep its non-alignment status to avoid militarizing Europe even further, Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet reported.

Some Swedish politicians and military commanders argue that Stockholm should join the military alliance, after all, Sweden has had a special partnership status with NATO. Swedish military and civilian personnel were present in Bosnia and Kosovo with peacekeepers, as well as in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Thus, there are those in Stockholm who have proposed the idea that Sweden should make a complete transition and become a full NATO member.
However, Aftonbladet argues the opposite:

“We must do the opposite. Get out. Keep our distance [from NATO]… This will decrease a risk of our nation getting into a war with its own government or another country,” the Swedish tabloid reported.

Now, as the United States is becoming interested in the Arctic, its activity in Northern regions will increase. Washington sees Stockholm as a potential base for its future plans in the Arctic. The last thing Sweden wants to achieve is the over-militarization of the Arctic in its own backyard, Aftonbladet said.

Great world powers, such as the United States, often trample the principles of international law. This, in turn, leads to military conflicts, such as those in Afghanistan and Libya. To avoid future conflicts, Sweden must respect the principles of international law and the United Nations by rejecting NATO membership.