Sweden and the UN: a rekindled partnership for peacekeeping?

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn June 1993 Sweden contributed 1,041 soldiers to United Nations (UN) missions, making up some 1.5 per cent of the total number of UN troops. Two decades later, the picture looked very different. In June 2013 Sweden only deployed one person to UN-led peacekeeping operations, excluding military observers and staff officers. This article explains the shifts in Swedish contributions to UN peacekeeping. It does so by first providing a background to Swedish historically strong support for UN peacekeeping, examining Sweden’s policy of neutrality and non-alignment as well as sense of moral duty to champion a more equal world order. This is followed by a discussion on the sharp decline in Sweden’s participation from the mid-1990s and its underlying reasons, such as the desire to transform the Swedish Armed Forces. The ensuing section considers Sweden’s participation in UN peacekeeping today, which expanded with the deployment of Swedish peacekeepers to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSMA) in Mali. Finally, possible future scenarios are outlined. While Sweden is expected to continue to resolutely support the UN and its efforts, international security developments, particularly those close to home, together with financial considerations will likely be decisive to Sweden’s future contributions to UN peacekeeping.