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This thesis examines whether the recent transformation of Swedish foreign aid policy can be understood as an increasing securitization of aid. Using securitization theory and critical discourse analysis (CDA), the study compares aid discourses in the political realm during the Social Democratic/Green government period and the Tidö government period. The analysis focuses on policy documents, parliamentary debates, audience reactions, and broader social contexts.

The findings suggest a clear discursive shift. While earlier aid discourse emphasized international solidarity, poverty reduction, and global security through development, the Tidö government increasingly frames aid in terms of Sweden’s national interests, migration control, and geopolitical security. The study argues that this development can be understood as a shift from a more internationally oriented to a more nationally oriented securitization of aid, thereby contributing to research on aid securitization and Swedish development policy.