Sweden–United States relations

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Swedish–American relations
Map indicating locations of Sweden and USA

Sweden
United States
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of Sweden, Washington, D.C.Embassy of the United States, Stockholm
Envoy
Ambassador Karin OlofsdotterAmbassador Erik Ramanathan

The relations between

Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed subsequently in 1783 between Benjamin Franklin and Swedish representative Gustaf Philip Creutz
.

In the 1800s, relations were largely cordial.

Swedish American population. In the 20th century, the countries were fellow democracies (with the end of the Swedish monarchy's power after World War I) and maintained cordial if distant relations. Sweden maintained official neutrality but supplied nearby Nazi Germany during World War II
, causing some tension with the Allies.

During the Cold War, Sweden did not join NATO and maintained a neutral status between the Western and Eastern Bloc, although its democratic and mixed capitalist approach was generally more in tune with the West and the United States. After the end of the Vietnam War, which was deeply unpopular in Sweden, relations between the two countries improved. The two countries have been largely friendly to each other since. United States supports Sweden's NATO membership. Under a comprehensive mandate, Sweden's nonalignment policy has led it to serve as the protecting power for the United States and to represent Washington in North Korea on consular matters.[2] U.S. President Joe Biden approved the NATO membership of Finland and Sweden in August 2022.[3]

History

Colonies and early United States

See also:
Swedish colonization of the Americas

Like many European powers,

Sweden participated in the colonization of America that started in the 17th century. The first Swedish colony along the banks of the Delaware River was established in 1638 (see New Sweden
).

Sweden under king

Gustavus III was the first country not engaged in the American Revolutionary War to recognize the young American republic. The Swedish Count Axel von Fersen was a distinguished soldier during the war, serving as an interpreter between General Rochambeau and General Washington. Also the Swedish count Curt von Stedingk, led the second assault during the Siege of Savannah in 1779. Both were made members of the Society of the Cincinnati
.

In 1783 the United States' Ambassador to Paris,

Treaty of Amity and Commerce.[4]

From 1801-02, Sweden was allied with the United States during the

Barbary corsairs to prevent further disruption of trade in the Mediterranean Sea.[5]

Emigration

port in Gothenburg
, Sweden, on its way to America.
Main article: Swedish emigration to the United States

During the period between 1820–1930 approximately 1.3 million Swedes, a third of the country's population,

emigrated to North America and most of them to the United States. Like the Irish diaspora it was sparked by poverty in Sweden, which was exacerbated during bad years. Only Britain (especially Ireland) and Norway had a higher emigration rate. Most of the Swedish emigrants settled in the central and Western United States. By 1910, Chicago had a greater population of Swedes than Gothenburg. Minnesota was also a place where many Swedish emigrants settled. The majority of Swedish-Americans fought in the American Civil War on the Union side.[6] (See also John Ericsson USS Monitor
)

Worsening relations

Olof Palme demonstrating side by side with North Vietnam ambassador Nguyen Tho Chyan on February 21, 1968 in Stockholm.
See also: Vietnam War resisters in Sweden

The first Swedish head of government who met with a US President was Prime Minister Tage Erlander, who visited Harry S. Truman at the White House in 1952.

The period between 1960 and 1968 also marked a cold period in the political relations between Sweden and the U.S., mainly due to the Swedish government's vocal opposition to the

its Ambassador from Sweden after the Swedish Minister of Education and future prime minister Olof Palme, a Social Democrat, had participated in a protest in Stockholm against the war together with the North Vietnamese Ambassador to the Soviet Union Nguyen Tho Chan.[7] The post of US Ambassador to Sweden remained vacant until February 1970. In December 1972, Olof Palme (then Prime Minister) made a speech on Swedish national radio where he compared the ongoing US bombings of Hanoi to some of the worst atrocities committed by the Nazis. The US government called the comparison a "gross insult" and once again decided to freeze its diplomatic relations with Sweden (this time the freeze lasted for over a year).[7]

Warmer period

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and US President George W. Bush at the White House on May 15, 2007.
President Trump and Swedish Prime Minister Löfven give a joint statement at the White House in March 2018

Relations improved when Thorbjörn Fälldin became Swedish prime minister in 1976, and following the assassination of Olof Palme in 1986 and the succession of Ingvar Carlsson as new Prime Minister, Swedish-American relations improved. Ingvar Carlsson met with President Ronald Reagan in 1987, the first time that a Swedish Prime Minister was invited to the White House since 1961, when Erlander paid a visit to Kennedy.

Carlsson's successor as Prime Minister, Carl Bildt, visited both President George H. W. Bush in 1992 and President Bill Clinton in 1994.

Immediately after the

invasion of Afghanistan.[8][9] However, like many other European governments, Sweden opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, reasoning that the invasion was a breach of international law.[10]
However, Prime Minister Göran Persson was relatively mild in his criticism of the U.S. compared to Olof Palme's strong criticism during the Vietnam War.

In the Statement of Government Policy presented to the Riksdag on October 6, 2006, the new centre-right Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt declared that the new government will work for a "strengthening of the transatlantic link". Reinfeldt's party, the Moderate Party, is more pro-American than the social democrats and supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq and Swedish membership of NATO. Reinfeldt visited President Bush at the White House on May 15, 2007.

According to a 2012 Gallup poll, 36% of Swedes approve of U.S. leadership, with 30% disapproving and 34% uncertain.[11]

Following President

Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs referred to discussions about Sweden's refugee policies as "simplistic and occasionally completely inaccurate."[15]
On March 6, 2018 Prime Minister Stefan Löfven visited the United States and met with President Donald Trump.

In June 2019, American rapper ASAP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, was arrested and held on remand in Sweden over a physical altercation in Stockholm. President Donald Trump made several tweets where he demanded that the Swedish government release Mayers. A spokesperson for prime minister Löfven released a statement in response to Trump's request which stated that the government was not allowed to influence legal proceedings in Sweden and that "everyone is equal before the law".[16]

Relations

Economic

The United States and Sweden have strong economic relations. The United States is, as of 2022, the third-largest Swedish export trade partner,[17] and U.S. companies are the most represented foreign companies in Sweden.

Military

Although Sweden has a longstanding policy of political neutrality in international affairs, Sweden decided to apply for full membership of

Libyan Civil War of 2011, the Swedish Air Force
worked closely with NATO and the USA.

President George W. Bush and Laura Bush welcome King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden to the White House.
President George W. Bush and Laura Bush welcome King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden to the White House.

During the Cold War, the Swedish government secretly made preparations to receive military aid from the United States in case of Soviet aggression.[18]

Sweden also aided the US in secrecy, possibly most famously when four Swedish pilots were awarded US Air Medals for saving the highly classified

MiG-25s had been dispatched with the order to shoot down the SR-71 or force it to land after it had gotten an engine failure. A MiG-25 had locked a missile on the damaged SR-71, but as the aircraft was under escort by the Swedish Saab 37 Viggen pilots no missiles were fired. On 29 November 2018, the four Swedish pilots involved were awarded medals from the US Air Force.[20]

Cultural links

Reflecting the fact that Sweden has a higher proportion of English speakers than most other countries which were never part of the British Empire, Swedish producers and songwriters have played a significant role in the sound of American pop music since the 1990s. One in particular, Max Martin, has written and produced more Billboard Hot 100 number one hits than any American songwriter or producer.[21]

List of visits

Guest Host Place of visit Date of visit
Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf
- Later King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden. 		United States President Calvin Coolidge
John Ericsson National Memorial &
The White House
, Washington, D.C. 		May 29, 1926
Sweden Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland
Sweden Crown Princess Louise 		United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt Wilmington, Delaware
Springwood, Hyde Park, New York 		June 27, 1938
July 1, 1938
Sweden Prime Minister Tage Erlander United States President Harry S. Truman White House, Washington, D.C. April 14, 1952
Sweden Prime Minister Tage Erlander United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower White House, Washington, D.C. November 24, 1954
Sweden Prime Minister Tage Erlander United States President John F. Kennedy White House, Washington, D.C. March 29, 1961
United States Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson
King Gustaf VI Adolf
 Uppsala Cathedral & Uppsala Castle, Uppsala, Sweden September 29, 1961
United States Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson
King Gustaf VI Adolf
Sweden Prime Minister Tage Erlander
 Sofiero Palace, Helsingborg, Sweden
Kanslihuset, Stockholm, Sweden 		September 4, 1963
September 5, 1963
Sweden Prime Minister Tage Erlander
Sweden Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland
Mrs. John F. Kennedy
Cathedral of St. Matthews &
The White House
, Washington, D.C. 		November 25, 1963
Sweden King Carl XVI Gustaf United States President Gerald Ford White House, Washington, D.C. April 5, 1976[22]
Sweden Prime Minister Ola Ullsten United States President Jimmy Carter
United States Vice President Walter Mondale 		White House, Washington, D.C. January 18, 1979
United States Vice President Walter Mondale Sweden Prime Minister Ola Ullsten Kanslihuset, Stockholm, Sweden May 1979
Sweden King Carl XVI Gustaf United States President Ronald Reagan White House, Washington, D.C. November 22, 1981
United States Vice President George H. W. Bush Sweden Prime Minister Olof Palme Rosenbad, Stockholm, Sweden June 27, 1983
United States First Lady Nancy Reagan
King Carl XVI Gustaf
 Stockholm, Sweden June 1987
Sweden Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson United States President Ronald Reagan White House, Washington, D.C. September 9, 1987
Sweden King Carl XVI Gustaf United States President Ronald Reagan White House, Washington, D.C. April 11, 1988
Sweden Prime Minister Carl Bildt United States President George H. W. Bush White House, Washington, D.C. February 20, 1992
Sweden Prime Minister Carl Bildt United States President Bill Clinton White House, Washington, D.C. December 1, 1993
Sweden Prime Minister Göran Persson United States President Bill Clinton White House, Washington, D.C. August 6, 1996
United States President George W. Bush
King Carl XVI Gustaf
Sweden Prime Minister Göran Persson
Svenska Mässan, Gothenburg
, Sweden 		June 14, 2001
Sweden Prime Minister Göran Persson United States President George W. Bush White House, Washington, D.C. December 3, 2001
Sweden Prime Minister Göran Persson United States President George W. Bush White House, Washington, D.C. April 28, 2004
King Carl XVI Gustaf
 United States President George W. Bush White House, Washington, D.C. October 23, 2006
Sweden Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt United States President George W. Bush White House, Washington, D.C. May 15, 2007
Sweden Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt United States President Barack Obama White House, Washington, D.C. November 2, 2009
United States President Barack Obama
King Carl XVI Gustaf
Sweden Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
Stockholm Synagogue &
the Royal Palace, Stockholm
, Sweden 		September 4–5, 2013
Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Löfven United States President Barack Obama White House, Washington, D.C., Arlington National Cemetery[23] May 13, 2016[24]
Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Löfven United States President Donald Trump White House, Washington, D.C. March 6, 2018
Sweden Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson United States President Joe Biden White House, Washington, D.C. March 16, 2022
Sweden Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson United States President Joe Biden White House, Washington, D.C. July 5, 2023

See also

References

  1. JSTOR 1919238
    – via JSTOR.
  2. ^ "About the Embassy". Embassy of Sweden, Pyongyang. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2017. In particular, Sweden functions as Protective Power for the United States ... including consular responsibility for citizens.
  3. ^ "Biden signs ratification documents approving NATO membership for Finland and Sweden". CNBC. August 9, 2022.
  4. ^ "American Memory from the Library of Congress". Memory.loc.gov. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  5. ^ "First Barbary War". Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. August 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  6. ^ "Swedish History - Hans Högman". www.hhogman.se.
  7. ^ a b Andersson, Stellan. "Olof Palme och Vietnamfrågan 1965–1983" (in Swedish). olofpalme.org. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
  8. ^ "Utrikesminister Anna Lindh med anledning av terrorattacken i USA | Press & info | Utrikesdepartementet | Departement | Regeringskansliet". Archived from the original on November 9, 2001.
  9. ^ "Riksdagens snabbprotokoll 2001/02:13 Onsdagen den 17 oktober Protokoll 2001/02:13 - Riksdagen". Riksdagen.se. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  10. ^ [1][dead link]
  11. ^ "THE U.S.-GLOBAL LEADERSHIP PROJECT : A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE MERIDIAN INTERNATIONAL CENTER AND GALLUP" (PDF). Gallup.com. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  12. ^ Topping, Alexandra. "'Sweden, who would believe this?': Trump cites non-existent terror attack". The Guardian. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  13. ^ Jennifer Calfas (February 19, 2017), "Sweden offers to teach Trump about its immigration policies", The Hill, retrieved February 23, 2017
  14. ^ Embassy of Sweden US [@SwedeninUSA] (February 19, 2017). "We look forward to informing the US administration about Swedish immigration and integration policies" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Facts about migration and crime in Sweden". Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. February 23, 2017. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  16. ^ "A$AP Rocky: Donald Trump demands Sweden release US rapper charged with assault". Sky News. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  17. ^ "Exports to our 30 largest trade partners". Statistiska Centralbyrån. August 27, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  18. ^ SOU 1994:11 Om kriget kommit... Förberedelser för mottagande av militärt bistånd 1949–1969
  19. ^ "Cold War declassified: Swedish pilots honored for protecting crippled US spy plane from Soviets". Stars and Stripes.
  20. ^ Rempfer, Kyle (December 31, 2018). "Finally declassified: Swedish pilots awarded US Air Medals for saving SR-71 spy plane". Air Force Times.
  21. ^ "The Weeknd's 'Can't Feel My Face' Gives Max Martin His 21st No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard.
  22. Gerald R. Ford Library
    , Accessed on May 17, 2010
  23. ^ Holmqvist, Anette (May 13, 2016). "Stefan Löfven anländer till Vita huset" [Stefan Löfven arrives at the White House]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  24. ^ "Statement by the Press Secretary on the U.S.-Nordic Leaders Summit". White House Office of the Press Secretary. March 18, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2016.

Further reading

Further information: Swedish Americans § Further reading, and Nordic and Scandinavian Americans § Further reading
  • Adamson, R. "Swedish iron exports to the United States, 1783–1860" Scandinavian Economic History Review, (1969) 17(1), 58–114.
  • Biltekin, Nevra. "Migrating women and transnational relations: Swedish-American connections since the 1920s." Scandinavian Journal of History (2021): 1-19. online
  • Blanck, Dag, and Adam Hjorthén, eds. Swedish-American Borderlands: New Histories of Transatlantic Relations (U of Minnesota Press, 2021).
  • Blanck, Dag. "'Very Welcome Home Mr. Swanson': Swedish Americans Encounter Homeland Swedes." American Studies in Scandinavia 48.2 (2016): 107-121. online On the 250,000 who went to USA but returned to Sweden.
  • Kastrup, Allan. "Swedish heritage in America" (1975) online
  • Kronvall, Olof. "US–Scandinavian Relations Since 1940." in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. (Oxford University Press, 2020)
  • Mays, Christin. "Have Money, Will Travel. Scholarships and Academic Exchange between Sweden and the United States, 1912-1980 (Uppsala: Uppsala University Press, 2022).
  • Müller, Leos. “Swedish-American Trade and the Swedish Consular Service, 1780-1840,” International Journal of Maritime History 14#1 (2002) 173–188.
  • O’Dell, Tom. Culture Unbound: Americanization and Everyday Life in Sweden (Lund: Nordic Academic Press, 1997).

External links

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