Publication

"Number one partner", "security provider", "operational partner" - the paper analyzes NATO-Sweden relationships and the role Sweden plays within the Alliance. It argues that since the mid-1990s, when joining the brand-new Partnership for Peace program, militarily nonaligned Sweden has taken advantage of every opportunity to move closer to the Alliance, while gradually adjusting the official terminology to fit the process. The paper concludes that Sweden now maintains a truly special relationship with NATO, with a privileged position in the partnership pool. As its "number one partner", Sweden is in many ways closer to NATO, and a more reliable contributor, than several of the allied countries.