Sweden tries to answer questions from concerned students about NATO and war after the end of neutrality

Author: CHISATO TANAKA

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — A teacher’s opening question to students in Stockholm is blunt: “Has joining NATO increased the threat to Sweden?”

In March, Sweden became the 32nd member of the Western military alliance. Many are concerned about the abrupt end to the Scandinavian country’s 200-year neutrality following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and officials’ warnings about a Russian threat to Sweden itself. Teenagers are no exception.

Masai Björkwall helped develop a nationwide program to educate students about the history and geopolitics of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after students at Masai Junior High School earlier this year. They anxiously asked Viktor Rydberg whether war might come to Sweden.

Their concerns were sparked by comments from the country’s top military commander and civil defense minister that there was a risk of war and that Swedes needed to prepare. The statements spread quickly, and the national children’s helpline saw an increase in questions about the war.

The last Swedish war ended in 1814.

“Of course we need to address students’ concerns about the risk of conflict and war and explain why we joined. We have been pursuing a policy of neutrality for several hundred years,” said Björkwall. “So I have to teach about what has happened in the world, what has changed, what made us change our policies.”

Björkwall’s new curriculum aims to appeal to teenagers unfamiliar with NATO, war and world politics, seeking to demystify topics its students see online.

One lesson included a discussion of the implications of NATO’s Article 5, the alliance’s collective defense clause, under which an attack on one ally is considered an attack on all allies. The discussion emphasized that the clause does not lead to an automatic military response.

Student Linnea Ekman did not see an increased threat, pointing out that Art. 5 does not require sending troops.

Another student, Edith Maxence, was concerned that the world would become more divided as Sweden took sides.

“I feel safe that Sweden is in NATO, but I don’t feel safe that (…) it could start a war,” said the 14-year-old.

She’s not alone. Children’s in Society, which runs the national children’s helpline, has seen an increasing number of calls from children asking whether NATO membership increases the risk for Sweden.

Interlocutors rarely asked about the war before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, BRIS Secretary General Magnus Jägerskog said almost 20% of conversations concerned the war in the week after military chief Micael Bydén and Civil Defense Minister Carl- Oskar Bohlin made his comments in January, highlighting the risks.

The solution to such problems is the program that Björkwall helped design.

Together with UR, a publicly funded civic education agency that creates educational content for teachers and students, he and others have produced a series of video programs on NATO along with teaching materials. These programs, launched in March, have now reached approximately 100,000 Swedish children.

Björkwall asks his final-year students a more difficult question: Should Sweden ally with authoritarian countries? He cites as examples Turkey and Hungary, NATO allies who delayed Sweden’s membership for months after the accession of its Nordic neighbor, Finland.

The class is divided, with almost half of the students unsure.

“It was hard for us to draw one conclusion,” said 15-year-old Adam Sahlen, but he admitted that “the military becomes stronger and better if we cooperate with others, especially with Turkey, for example.”

Björkwall said he tries to avoid preferring one position over another: “I want them to be mature, democratic citizens who will be able to vote informedly later.”