After 209 Years of Peace, Sweden Is Joining NATO

From Vikings To Nationhood and the Rise of Empire, Wars with Russia and Sweden’s Decline, Exodus to America, the Long Peace, Nuclearization, Americanization, and NATO.

In its annual threat assessment this year, the Swedish Security Service explained that Russia is “the single largest actor threatening Sweden’s security.” No wonder that Sweden is now joining the NATO military alliance.

Did you know, that Sweden has not been in a war for 209 years! That’s longer than any country I can think of. It’s certainly longer than Switzerland’s record of peace. The Swedish like to claim that this long record of peace is due to Sweden’s kings and politicians choosing peace over war. But as my guest will explain, this is not entirely true. The real reason has more to do with persistent diplomacy and just sheer good luck.

Listen to HbN’s podcast on Sweden’s history.

Back in July, Türkiye approved Sweden’s bid to become a member of NATO. What this means is that President Erdogan finally agreed to forward Sweden’s accession protocol to the NATO assembly. If you recall, Mr. Erdogan had blocked Sweden’s bid to join NATO for more than a year. And although Ratification is still pending, I don’t…