Sweden at risk

Despite the fact that I haved cancelled my subscription, I keep receiving new issues of Monocle. However, after another night with deadly attacks in Ukraine, the March issue of Monocle has not aged particularly well with its special on “Putin-approved clothing” at the Dubai World Expo next to the most trending streets of Kyiv.

Being in Gothenburg last week, only a few kilometres from the largest port in Scandinavia, the war in Ukraine felt ominously close. After all, given that Russia has already become a pariah state, what would actually stop Putin from launching a cruise missile against Sweden in retaliation for the weapons that it has sent to Ukraine? Unless the missile is nuclear tipped, such an attack would probably not trigger World War Three nor is it likely that Sweden would start bombing Russia in return. However, it is less certain how such an act of war would be received domestically in Russia or by the broader international community. Nevertheless, like Andrey Buzarov in today's Svenska Dagbladet, I think Sweden, unlike its neighbouring NATO countries, is very much at risk, especially if Putin fails with his objectives in Ukraine, something that seems increasingly likely for every day that goes by. I am not saying this as an argument for joining NATO which, if anything, would only further increase tensions but I think it is something that is worth keeping in mind. Sadly, just like with the Kim Family Regime in North Korea, the only immediate response to this is greater deterrence but, in the long run, the more important question is obviously how to avoid ending up in situations like this to begin with.