In proposing the use of the term "Sweden-bashing", historian Dr. Carl Marklund posited the phenomenon as follows:[1]
The often cited exemplarity of Sweden among progressive countries worldwide—due to its Third World solidarity abroad as well as its social policies at home—also made it the subject of an admittedly marginal, but vocal genre of diagnosis and criticism, first from conservatives, later from liberals, that can be termed "Sweden-bashing." Key themes in this genre include allegedly totalitarian tendencies in the Swedish welfare state as well as a supposedly anti-Western bias in Swedish Cold War neutrality.
Sweden-bashing was used in the 1960s U.S. presidential election between Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy.[2] In 1960 while addressing the Republican National Committee, President Eisenhower described Sweden as a cautionary tale about socialism and government intrusion into the affairs of individuals.[2] He described Sweden as engaging in an "experiment of almost complete paternalism", and cited what he said were allegedly high rates of alcoholism, suicide, and divorce, as well as a "lack of ambition".[2]
Although American criticisms of Swedish welfare policies were initially received with skepticism among Swedish conservatives, they gradually became accepted as part of a "shift to the right" in Sweden's self-image and perception abroad.[1]:2 He wrote that this "underscor[ed] how originally distant actors, marginal discourses and random events may be amplified through transnational circulation of ideas and images", and noted that some regarded the shift to the right as evidence of a counter-strategy by business interests to oppose the radical left of the 1970s, or as a "purposive elite strategy of political communication."[1]:2
A renewal of negative American publicity about Sweden followed the Social Democrats' return to power in 1982, focusing on alleged problems of rising racism and xenophobia focused on immigrants.[1]:7 He also noted that Gösta Grassman, a foreign affairs press officer with the Swedish government, had referred to criticism of the Swedish welfare state as "the 1984 reports" due to the portrayal of Sweden as a totalitarian state by such critics.[1]:8 Grassman said that in this new strain of criticism, the previous portrayal of Sweden's welfare state as a ploy to mask what was allegedly a covert form of capitalism had evolved into a similar allegation that the welfare state masked what was allegedly a form of socialism.[1]:8 The point of the reference to Nineteen Eighty-four, the dystopian novel by George Orwell, according to Grassman, was "to shock by reimagining a democratic, egalitarian, and prosperous Western society as 'totalitarian.'"[1]:8
Marklund wrote that in the tumult of debate, "it became increasingly difficult to distinguish the foreign reporting on Sweden and the Swedish debate on Sweden from the Swedish discussion of the image of Sweden abroad."[1]:8 While he acknowledged that the criticisms "can be viewed as examples of legitimate international journalism or political debate in Sweden itself", Marklund argued that they were often blown out of proportion in late 1983, both in foreign press coverage of Sweden and in the Swedish reception of that coverage.[1]:9 He noted that in the Swedish foreign ministry, believing that foreign criticism was amplifying or even distorting the significance of some issues in the political discourse, summoned 150 correspondents of the foreign press corps to receive what The New York Times described as "a lecture on their supposedly less-than-objective articles about Sweden."[1]:9 He wrote that the strategy backfired, as the journalists felt curtailed.[1]:9
As Sweden's international visibility has increased a market for Sweden-bashing has emerged.[3][4]
Japanese Sweden-bashing often focus on the care of the elderly.[5]
Discussion among politicians and government officials
According to political scientist Bruce Miroff, American conservatives may engage in Sweden-bashing as Sweden managed to have both economic efficiency and equality, something they feel is impossible.[6]
In a February 2016 report to the Swedish Foreign Ministry, the Swedish Embassy in London indicated that the widely distributed "right-wing UK tabloid newspaper", the Daily Mail, said to be known for its "vigorous anti-immigration stance", was running a campaign against Sweden's refugee policy.[7] The report said that Sweden was being used as a deterrent and an argument against allowing more refugees, and was being characterised by the Daily Mail as "naive and an example of the negative consequences of a liberal migration policy."[7]
In mid-January 2017, Czechoslovakia-born Swedish author Katerina Janouch made claims in an interview with a Czech television station which the Swedish government labelled as a "bizarre declaration".[8] Janouch said that "Swedes were learning to use guns to defend themselves as a result of increased immigration,"[9] that Swedish seniors do not have enough money for food, cancer patients were dying because of the long waiting lines caused by tens of thousands newly arrived refugees—77% of whom are men pretending to be minors—women are being raped, and 150,000 left Sweden for the United States and elsewhere.[8] Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven spoke of "increasing negative media coverage abroad"[9] at Davos[8] and in interviews with the local Swedish media with reassurances that there was still "great respect for the Swedish model'.[9]
After Donald Trump claimed at a 2017 rally that Sweden had serious crime and social problems related to immigrants, Olle Lönnaeus published an article in Sydsvenskan accusing Trump of spreading fake news, and said that "[a]s Trump wants to close the US border to Muslim immigration, it is in his interest to spread the idea that Europe's most refugee friendly country is on the road to perdition."[10] In response, Jimmie Åkesson and Mattias Karlsson of the far-right,[11] anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats party published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal arguing that Trump had understated Sweden's problems, not exaggerated them, and that riots, attacks on emergency service personnel, gang violence, gun violence, and anti-Semitism were booming as a result of immigration.[12] Reacting to the editorial, Sweden's justice and migration minister Morgan Johansson accused Åkesson and Karlsson of lying about the immigrant crime situation, saying "They're painting a picture of a country characterized by violence, when it's the exact opposite."[13]
During the COVID-19 pandemicDonald Trump claimed that Sweden was suffering greatly from the situation and that had US followed the same strategy as Sweden, there would have been significantly more deaths in the US.[14][15] Despite the fact that Trump himself downplayed the dangers of the virus in the beginning of the pandemic, advocating for a more calm approach.[16] The Swedish state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell has responded to the critique by saying that the comments made by Trump are not to be taken seriously and that by doing the comparison between Sweden and the city of New York, Sweden is still doing comparatively good.[17]
Eurosceptic politician Nigel Farage has consistently criticised Sweden in similar rhetoric to Trump, making references to refugees, immigrants and violent crime.[18][19]
The former ambassador from Israel Zvi Mazel consistently criticized Sweden for lacking press freedom.[20]
Discussion among journalists and other commentators
At a 2016 discussion forum titled "Transnationalizing Swedish–American Relations",[21]:7 Carl Marklund, a postdoctoral researcher in Eastern European studies at Södertörn University, argued that Swedish conservatives had been influenced by American criticism of the Swedish welfare state in the 1970s and 80s.[21]:7 Marklund said that Swedes had "used the United States as a source of inspiration as well as a warning, seeking not primarily to understand the United States but to promote or prevent social change in Sweden."[21]:7 Furthermore, Marklund argued, Sweden was viewed similarly by Americans, "as both a model and a dangerous example of a welfare state." Marklund referred to this as "Sweden-bashing".[21]:7
The term has also been used by journalists and by Swedish government officials discussing Swedish foreign relations, as well as by other commentators.[22] In a 2002 opinion article in New York Times Magazine, progressive economist Paul Krugman used the term "Sweden-bashing" in arguing that American conservatives attacked Swedish welfare policies as part of an effort to spread a misguided view that redistribution of wealth to poorer citizens promotes economic inefficiency.[23] Krugman argued that one influential conservative economic critique of Swedish policy was misguided because it focused on per-capita income, which Krugman argued was not a good measure of quality of life in Sweden, and because high wealth inequality in the United States skewed the available data.[23]
In an editorial titled "Political Strategy Behind Sweden-Bashing" in the daily newspaper Sydsvenskan, Joakim Palmkvist and Olle Lonnaeus identified possible political motives that might explain some Israeli criticism of Swedish press freedoms, such as a desire by the critics to gain domestic support, to pressure Sweden as chairman of the European Union in advance of coming peace talks on the Palestinian conflict, or even to prompt a press crackdown by the Swedish government.[24]
According to government agency Swedish Institute, while much of the foreign media reporting on how Sweden was to handle so many migrants at one time was accurate, some people with a political agenda turned to Sweden-bashing.[25] Sweden-bashing peaked again in 2016 as foreign media criticized Sweden's open immigration policies as swelling numbers of displaced peoples, refugee, and asylum seekers—many of whom had Sweden as their destination—travelled to Sweden via other European countries.[25]
According to Christian Christensen, an American professor of journalism at Stockholm University Sweden have become the symbol of everything that many American Republicans believe is wrong with Europe: feminism, environmentalism, and openness to refugees.[26]Donald Trump has been criticized for engaging in the hard-core American right's Sweden-bashing.[27]
The Sweden Democrats is a nationalist and right-wing populist political party in Sweden founded in 1988. As of 2024, it is the largest member of Sweden's right-wing bloc and the second-largest party in the Riksdag. It provides confidence and supply to the centre-right ruling coalition. Within the European Union, the party is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party.
The Moderate Party, commonly referred to as the Moderates, is a liberal-conservative political party in Sweden. The party generally supports tax cuts, the free market, civil liberties and economic liberalism. Globally, it is a full member of the International Democracy Union and the European People's Party.
The Liberals, previously known as the Liberal People's Party until 22 November 2015, is a conservative-liberal political party in Sweden. The Liberals ideologically have shown a broad variety of liberal tendencies. Currently they are seen as following classical liberalism and economic liberalism, and have been described as being centre-right. The party is a member of the Liberal International and Renew Europe.
John Fredrik Reinfeldt is a Swedish economist, lecturer, former Prime Minister of Sweden from 2006 to 2014 and chairman of the liberal conservative Moderate Party from 2003 to 2015. He was the last rotating President of the European Council in 2009. He is chairman of the Swedish Football Association since 25 March 2023.
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency is a government agency of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Sida is responsible for organization of the bulk of Sweden's official development assistance to developing countries. According to the OECD, 2022 official development assistance from Sweden increased to US$5.5 billion, representing 0.9% of their Gross National Income (GNI).
Ulf Hjalmar Kristersson is a Swedish politician who has been serving as Prime Minister of Sweden since 2022. He has been the leader of the Moderate Party (M) since October 2017 and a member of the Riksdag (MP) for Södermanland County since 2014 and for Stockholm County from 1991 to 2000. He previously served as Minister for Social Security from 2010 to 2014 and as Chairman of the Moderate Youth League from 1988 to 1992.
Swedish contacts with the Muslim world dates back to the 7th–10th centuries, when the Vikings traded with Muslims during the Islamic Golden Age. Since the late 1960s and more recently, Muslim immigration from the Middle East, Balkans and parts of Africa has impacted the demographics of religion in Sweden, and has been the main driver of the spread of Islam in the country.
Immigration to Sweden is the process by which people migrate to Sweden to reside in the country. Many, but not all, become Swedish citizens. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused some controversy regarding ethnicity, economic benefits, jobs for non-immigrants, settlement patterns, impact on upward social mobility, violence, and voting behaviour.
Kjell Stefan Löfven is a Swedish politician who has served as the President of European Socialists since October 2022. He previously served as Prime Minister of Sweden from October 2014 to November 2021 and leader of the Social Democratic Party from 2012 to 2021.
Hans Kennert Mattias Hedarv Karlsson is a Swedish politician, writer and public commentator who served as Leader of the Sweden Democrats in the Riksdag from September 2014 to November 2019. He has been a Member of the Riksdag (SD) since October 2010. He previously served as Leader of the Sweden Democrats from 2014 to 2015. He currently heads the conservative think-tank Oikos. Since 2022, he has also served as the party's international outreach secretary. Karlsson has also been described as one of the SD's chief philosophical idealogues having been responsible much of the party's current platform and shift in its beliefs.
Ebba-Elisabeth Busch is a Swedish politician, serving as the Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Minister for Energy and the Minister for Business and Industry since October 2022. She has served as Leader of the Christian Democrats since April 2015.
Mattias Löw is a Swedish film director, documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Stockholm and Motala, who specializes in social issues documentaries and documentary photography. He gives lectures and workshops on the topics of storytelling and documentary filmmaking, in addition to occasional acting.
Julia Maria Kronlid is a Swedish politician for the Sweden Democrats and a member of the Riksdagen since the 2010 general election. She represents the Stockholm County electorate.
Citizens' Coalition, officially known as Bourgeois Future until 2017, is a right-wing political party in Sweden that was founded in 2014. The party considers itself liberal-conservative and green conservative, while observers described it as a right-wing party critical of immigration and conservative.
Fredrik Önnevall, is a Swedish journalist and television presenter. He speaks fluent Chinese and was Sveriges Television's first correspondent in Beijing between 2005 and 2008, and was their commentator there during the opening ceremony at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Önnehvall has presented the Sveriges Television shows Kinas mat and Fosterland, which also focused on China. During the late 1990s he worked as a reporter and editor for the Sveriges Television local news show Sydnytt which covers news for the Skåne area.
Events of 2019 in Sweden
Valter Mutt is a Swedish politician and former parliamentarian. He served in the Riksdag from 2010 to 2018, representing the Green Party.
Ingalill Margareta Mosander, née Larsson, is a Swedish journalist, known as a prolific book reviewer on television and in printed media.
Events in the year 2020 in Sweden.
Sweden's unique response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been the subject of significant controversy in both domestic and international circles. Unlike most countries, which strongly recommended or introduced widespread sector closures, quarantining, and lockdown measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019, the government of Sweden took a more lenient approach to the pandemic, prioritizing the economy and only pursuing social distancing measures such as bans on large gatherings and limited travel restrictions.
1 2 3 4 Dag Blanck; Adam Hjorthén (2016). "Transnationalizing Swedish–American Relations: An Introduction to the Special Forum". Journal of Transnational American Studies. 7 Number=1. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017. Finally, the circulation of discourses and ideas of Swedish and American modernity is a theme explored in this Forum through the article by Carl Marklund, dealing specifically with the phenomenon of "Sweden-bashing" during the years of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. Marklund argues that critical American discussions about the Swedish welfare state in the 1970s and 1980s were incorporated into the discourse of Swedish conservatives. This is one example were notions about American and Swedish modernities have resonated with each other during the twentieth and twenty-first century.32 Both Swedish conservatives and liberals used the United States as a source of inspiration as well as a warning, seeking not primarily to understand the United States but to promote or prevent social change in Sweden. Sweden has, in fact, occupied a similar position in the United States, as both a model and a dangerous example of a welfare state
Brøndal, Jørn. "'The Fairest among the So-Called White Races': Portrayals of Scandinavian Americans in the Filiopietistic and Nativist Literature of the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries." Journal of American Ethnic History 33.3 (2014): 5-36. in JSTOR
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Marklund, Carl. "American Mirrors and Swedish Self-Portraits: American Images of Sweden and Swedish Public Diplomacy in the USA from Olof Palme to Ingvar Carlsson,” in Histories of Public Diplomacy and Nation Branding in the Nordic and Baltic Countries, ed. Louis Clerc, Nikolas Glover and Paul Jordan (Leiden: Brill, 2015), 172–94.
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In Swedish
Kastrup, Allan. Med Sverige i Amerika: Opinioner, stämningar och upplysningsarbete: En rapport (Malmö: Corona, 1985)
Ohlsson, Per T. Over there: Banden över Atlanten (Stockholm: Timbro, 1992).
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