The Long Road to NATO

March 7, 2024 — the day Sweden became a member of NATO. Seventy-five years after the founding of the alliance. The road to NATO was paved by those who believed the Alliance was Sweden’s natural home. While the journey was a long, uphill battle, proponents maintained the course, even when the destination seemed to grow ever farther away. But why did it take us so long to join? And is that even a worthwhile question to ask so soon after Sweden’s NATO accession? Shouldn’t those who worked for Swedish membership simply be satisfied with the result and leave it at that? After all, the most important objective has been achieved. First published in Swedish in Spring 2024, this book captured a moment in time when NATO accession was the culmination of many’s life work. The tone was triumphant. Our close ties with the alliance could no longer be subject to doubt. We were now openly and unequivocally part of the community we were always meant to belong to. This English translation comes as Sweden approaches two years of membership, with the transatlantic Alliance facing new and unprecedented challenges. Indeed, “we are entering a new era,” just not exactly the one we envisioned when Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced Sweden’s intent to join May 18, 2022.