Aligning the non-aligned : a re-interpretation of why and how Sweden was granted access to US military materiel in the early cold war, 1948–1952

• This article takes a new look at the crucial years in early post-war history, 1948–52, when Swedish-American security relations were established. By 1952 Sweden was firmly within the Western sphere and was considered a trusted ally in the fight against the Soviet Bloc. What had happened since 1948 that made the Swedish government go from almost pariah status to a trusted ally? Prior research has argued that this change was due to a dramatic reversal of US policy towards Sweden, and has even pointed to a very specific date for this policy change—namely February 1950. Washington, it has been said, at that time gave up its objective of getting Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty (NAT, which became NATO in 1951).In contrast, the article argues that it was not so much that the Americans changed their minds, as it was Sweden that gradually corrected its policy of neutrality to fit American hegemonic demands, specifically regarding its adherence to the CoCom trade embargo; a process that lasted longer than until February 1950. Moreover, it questions the assumption that getting Sweden to join the NAT was ever a US policy objective. There is simply no evidence to support it. It also makes the case for a reinterpretation of the Swedish-American security relations in the early cold war. The article places these events within the framework of hegemony theory, which in order to improve the understanding of this process.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Historia (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- History (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Sweden

Cold War

United States

Policy of Neutrality

Security Policy

Arms Transfers

Diplomacy

History

Historia

Historia med inriktning mot militärhistoria

Historia med inriktning mot militärhistoria

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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art (ämneskategori)