4 ms·

"Sweden is in a similar position re:Russia rather than China" What do you mean? Russia and Sweden have no territorial disputes, no wars for the last 200 years

• barry-cotter 7y ago
  Sweden’s neutrality is as much of a farce as Ireland’s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_neutrality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_neutrality > In the early 1960s U.S. nuclear submarines armed with mid-range nuclear missiles of type Polaris A-1 were deployed outside the Swedish west coast. Range and safety considerations made this a good area from which to launch a retaliatory nuclear strike on Moscow. The submarines had to be very close to the Swedish coast to hit their intended targets though. As a consequence of this, in 1960, the same year that the submarines were first deployed, the U.S. provided Sweden with a military security guarantee. The U.S. promised to provide military force in aid of Sweden in case of Soviet aggression. This guarantee was kept from the Swedish public until 1994, when a Swedish research commission found evidence for it. As part of the military cooperation the U.S. provided much help in the development of the Saab 37 Viggen, as a strong Swedish air force was seen as necessary to keep Soviet anti-submarine aircraft from operating in the missile launch area. In return Swedish scientists at the Royal Institute of Technology made considerable contributions to enhancing the targeting performance of the Polaris missiles.
  • gdy 7y ago
    Still, unlike Japan and China, there are no old grievances and no territorial disputes between Sweden and Russia. And by staying out of NATO, Sweden is unlikely to be drawn by the US into a confrontation with Russia.