ABSTRACT
In this chapter, some of the core ideas underpinning Swedish security policy are described and discussed. In an effort to tease out whether or not these ideas also have an Arctic dimension, their contemporary scope and meaning in the Swedish political context is illustrated by ideas concerning geopolitical framing, agenda-setting, and military doctrine. The 2011–2013 Swedish chairmanship of the Arctic Council stands out both as a starting point and as an ideational vanguard for Swedish ideas about Arctic security. The chapter concludes that the Swedish chairmanship represented a unique opportunity to shift security perceptions, but that this did not happen. Swedish security perceptions seem to remain firmly rooted in the Baltic Sea Region. Short of outright military conflict, a domestic political sea change regarding NATO membership can be seen as the potential “game changer.”
