Logotyp: till Försvarshögskolans hemsida

Purpose: This thesis will explore Sweden's approach to deterrence policy from the start of the Cold War up until the latest defence proposal and how it is presumed to take form. This means that the thesis will not analyse how Swedish deterrence functions in practice but rather how its implementation is envisioned by the government. 

Method: The two methods used in this thesis are document and discourse analysis. These are utilised in conjunction to provide a comprehensive understanding of the different proposals that the Swedish government has provided since the Cold War regarding Sweden's deterrence policy. Together, document analysis and discourse analysis offer a robust framework for understanding the complexity of the Swedish Deterrence Policy. 

Theory: The thesis combines two theories. The first theory is the Ritual Deterrence theory developed by Maria Mälksoo, which provides a new perspective on Sweden's deterrence policy. The second theory is Resilience, with the purpose of understanding how resilience affects deterrence. 

Material: This thesis analyses policy documents that are sourced directly from the Swedish government's database, which include defence proposals put forward by different governments from the start of the Cold War to the Defence Document of 2024, and other official documents. In addition, the thesis analyses press releases, which come from the government’s database.

Conclusion: This thesis examines the nature of the Swedish deterrence posture from the Cold War until the latest defence document passed in December 2024. My analysis shows how Swedish deterrence has changed from focusing on having a strong defence during the Cold War before reducing it due to the belief of peace after the fall of the Soviet Union, and finally rebuilding once again after security threats in Sweden’s vicinity. Sweden has also been focusing on international peace support missions as a form of performative deterrence. The analysis concluded that civil defence and military defence plays a prominent role in how performative deterrence takes form. It is through different performative actions, such as political statements and military exercises, that Sweden deters its potential aggressors.