Week 37: New ministers and debate about Sweden's role in the world

Maria Malmer Stenergard succeeds Tobias Billström as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Johan Forssell becomes the new Minister of Migration and Benjamin Dousa, former CEO of Företagarna and think tank Timbro, takes over as Minister of Aid and Foreign Trade. The ministerial changes have sparked a great deal of debate about the government's foreign and aid policy and what role Sweden should play in the international arena.

Since the former foreign minister Tobias Billström (M) announced his resignation on September 4, there has been intense speculation in the media about who will be his successor. Finally, in connection with the opening of the National Assembly on September 10, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) announced that Maria Malmer Stenergard (M), former Minister of Migration, will take over the post.

Annie Croona, political editor at Dagens ETC, points out that Malmer Stenergard has previously been the face of the Sweden Democrats' migration policy. In her opinion, the new foreign minister will adapt foreign policy further to the Tidö agreement with SD, especially regarding Israel's warfare in Gaza.

— Now the Kristersson wind is whispering about unwavering support for Israel, she writes in Today's ETC.

Furthermore, Croona criticizes Tobias Billström for not having highlighted clearly enough the deaths among Palestinian civilians that followed Israel's actions. Anders Lindberg, political editor-in-chief at Aftonbladet, agrees and thinks that Sweden no longer has a moral compass. He also believes that the foreign and aid policy under Ulf Kristersson's leadership has become more focused on Europe and the USA.

— Africa has basically completely disappeared from the government's radar, except when aid is to be cut, he writes in Aftonbladet.

Linda Jerneck, lead writer at Expressen, on the other hand, believes that Sweden has a more realistic foreign policy. According to Jerneck, Maria Malmer Stenergard should continue to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia's full-scale invasion, instead of "saving the whole world" or believing that Sweden will solve the conflict in the Middle East.

"Helping Ukraine win the war is our overriding moral duty," she writes Expressen.

The former aid and foreign trade minister Johan Forssell (M) was appointed as the new migration minister and Benjamin Dousa (M), former CEO of the market liberal think tank Timbro and the interest organization Företagarna, takes over the baton after him. According to Aftonbladet's Jonna Sima, Dousa has promised to continue Forssell's work to reform and tighten Swedish aid.

"For Swedish civil society, it is not possible to breathe a sigh of relief," she writes Aftonbladet.

The aid reform agenda

I Swedish daily newspaper Peter Wennblad continues his critical review of Sida's work in a third editorial. He criticizes what he thinks is Sida's close relationship with the 17 Swedish strategic partnership organizations (SPOs) that forward aid money to partners around the world. However, he does not give much support to the proposal that the support should instead go directly from Sida to organizations in the recipient countries.

Admittedly, it sounds more like moving the swamp to a new location. If, on the other hand, Forssell drains the aid policy swampland, he can instead use it to plant something new, Wennblad writes.