Europe - International Studies of Strategic and Geopolitics

Sweden on its NATO Membership: Turkey is Asking Too Much

9Jan

By ISSGNo Comments

Sweden on its NATO Membership: Turkey is Asking Too Much

“Sweden is confident that Turkey will approve its application for NATO membership, but we cannot fulfill all Turkish demands,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Sunday, quoted by the Reuters agency. “Turkey has confirmed that we have done what we said we would do, but they also say that they want things that we cannot or do not want to give them,” the Swedish prime minister said on a conference on defense and security issues in the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. In 2022, Sweden, Finland and Turkey signed a tripartite agreement aimed at removing Turkish objections to the two Scandinavian countries' bids for NATO membership, Reuters recalls. "We are convinced that Turkey will make a decision, we just don't know when," said the Swedish Prime Minister an...

Out of the shadows: Europe exposes its Russian spies

30Dec

By ISSGNo Comments

Europe, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Privacy

Out of the shadows: Europe exposes its Russian spies

Countries in Scandinavia, a current security hot spot, are more visibly cracking down on citizens involved in Russian espionage. STOCKHOLM — Two military helicopters shattered the calm of suburban Stockholm on a late November morning, swooping over a private home in the sleepy locale of Kil in a high-profile raid on a Swedish couple accused of spying for Russia. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the police piling into their house,” a neighbor of the arrested Stockholm couple told POLITICO. “The noise of the helicopters woke up the whole street, and we just stood on our driveways watching the action.” The rattle of helicopters in the darkness was the latest sign that European nations’ high-stakes games of espionage with Russia are increasingly being played in the open. The raid netted...

Why Sweden’s Social Democrats U-Turned on NATO

29Dec

By ISSGNo Comments

Europe

Why Sweden’s Social Democrats U-Turned on NATO

Sweden’s left has historically been opposed to joining NATO. But as the war in Ukraine made joining the alliance popular, Sweden’s Social Democrats changed tack, alienating many of their supporters and exposing deep divisions among the Left in the process. On November 8, Ulf Kristersson, the newly elected prime minister of Sweden, went to Turkey. He was courting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a part of Sweden’s bid to join NATO. For many Swedes, the image that has come to symbolize the historic visit is a zoomed in frame of Kristersson’s hand, small and contorted, being squeezed to a bright red hue in Erdoğan’s grip. After Sweden officially asked to join the military alliance in May, many NATO nations quickly signaled their enthusiasm at the prospect of Swedish membership. But Turke...

The Swedish Air Force prepares for the next 20 years

29Dec

By ISSGNo Comments

Europe, Defense Strategy and Capabilities

The Swedish Air Force prepares for the next 20 years

As part of a military strategic analysis study up to 2045, the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) designed its roadmap for the next two decades, which will guide its expansion and modernization. The study, conducted for the entire Swedish Armed Forces, seeks to guide decisions on defense policy towards 2045. It echoes the war in Ukraine and Sweden’s future membership in the NATO structure, which marks a turning point for the country after decades of strategic neutrality. As a NATO ally, the study presupposes an increase in the threshold for armed Russian attacks against Sweden, while changing the threat landscape and increasing the risk of military activities on the country’s borders. The outcome of the war in Ukraine is unknown and the regional and global consequences are difficult to pr...

The Ukraine war will shape global politics for years to come

28Dec

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Long-Term Futures, Europe

The Ukraine war will shape global politics for years to come

BY HARSH V. PANT * The Ukraine war will shape global politics for years to come When the year began, the debate on Ukraine had already started. Vladimir Putin was amassing his troops around Ukraine. It was widely believed that this was part of a diplomatic manoeuvre to push for a renegotiated settlement with Europe. The West was trying to ensure that war doesn’t return to Europe. The world was nervous but few believed that a full-fledged war was in the offing. And, yet, it happened, forever changing the geopolitics of Europe and the world. Since that fateful day on February 24, when the Russian invasion began, it has been estimated that more than 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured, along with some 40,000 civilian deaths. Over 7.8 milli...

Germany planning new strategy in Africa to compete with China

26Dec

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Africa, Europe

Germany planning new strategy in Africa to compete with China

Germany intends to replace 'Marshall Plan with Africa' with new strategy to keep Germany in race for Africa against China. BERLIN With a new strategy for the African continent, Germany is preparing to compete against China in search of energy, raw materials, and new markets. In the "Dark Continent," which is remembered for its poverty, the capital problem, drought, and never-ending domestic turmoil make Africa's struggle for industrialization difficult, but the rich mineral deposits and young population continue to attract the attention of developed countries. This increased interest in the continent also leads to an increase in competition between countries. It is noteworthy that Chinese, Turkish, Italian and Indian investments in African countries have increased in recent years, on...