With Sweden applying for Nato membership on May 18 2022, it marked a historical shift in Sweden's view on security politics. The application was submitted just a couple of months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But how come Sweden did not apply following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014? Due to the fact that the situations at both times were rather similar, it seems relevant to increase the understanding of the outcome. Thorhallsson’s Shelter Theory aims to explain how small states such as Sweden, seek shelter within alliances and organisations. Previous research has not analysed Sweden's view on Nato membership 2014 compared to 2022 from a small state perspective. By using the cornerstone Political shelter and its subfactors from Shelter theory, this study aims to increase the understanding of Sweden's view on Nato membership, and why they did apply in 2022 but not in 2014. The analysis showed that Sweden’s view on Nato membership differed in 2022 compared to 2014. This was examined through the subfactors: Military power, Power of diplomacy and norms and rules of the international system and The capacity of domestic political institutions. All subfactors contributed to a deeper understanding of the outcome, though the latter contributed the least.