Week 16: Demand for a written no against nuclear weapons on Swedish soil in military agreements

Several debaters are worried that the DCA military agreement between Sweden and the USA could, among other things, enable nuclear weapons on Swedish soil. Photo: NATO. Source: Flickr.

Of: Fatima Shek Behi

A proposal for the bilateral military agreement is due in May Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Sweden and the USA is submitted to the Riksdag. This has created debate over the past week, as several debaters believe that there is no guarantee in the agreement that excludes nuclear weapons in Sweden. Swedish government representatives, on the other hand, believe that the agreement will not lead to nuclear weapons or permanent foreign bases on Swedish territory.  

April 22, 2024, Current debate

Week 11: Debaters call on Israel to take responsibility for famine in Gaza

During the past week, several debaters have written about the famine in Gaza. Photo: Wafa. Source: Wikimedia commons.

Of: The Chancellery

The people of Gaza are starving and Israel must take responsibility for it, several write debaters. Greta Thunberg's climate demonstration outside the Riksdag has also been the subject of debate during the past week.

March 18, 2024, Current debate

International court decision against Israel: "Has been ignored"

Several actors believe that Israel is not complying with the International Court of Justice's order to protect the Palestinian population. At the same time, the court relies on the willingness of states to comply with the decisions. Photo: Saleh Najm and Anas Sharif. Source: Wikimedia commons.

Of: Rania Yassin

Earlier this year accused South Africa Israel for genocide in the UN's highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The court has decided that Israel must do everything in its power to protect the Palestinian population. Men The ICJ relies on states' willingness to comply with decisions, and many civil society organizations believe that Israel has not lived up to this.  

March 18, 2024, Development magazine explains

Week 10: Debaters welcome Sweden's NATO entry

Sweden is now a member of the NATO military alliance. This has been welcomed by most debaters on Swedish opinion pages. Pictured: Ulf Kristersson (M), Prime Minister of Sweden, and Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO. Photo: NATO. Source: Flickr.

Of: Fatima Shek Behi

On March 7, 2024, Sweden became a full member of NATO, two years after the application process began following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. NATO entry has dominated the debate and editorial pages for the past week, with a clear majority welcoming membership of the military alliance.  

March 11, 2024, Current debate

Week 9: Debaters want Sweden to advocate disarmament - even as a NATO member

On Swedish opinion pages during the past week, most debaters were positive that Sweden's long application process to NATO seems to be coming to an end. Pictured: Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) (left) next to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (right). Photo: NATO. Source: Flickr.

Of: Benjamin Frisk

On February 26, Hungary's parliament voted yes to Swedengiven NATO membership, and now is that only formalities left before Sweden becomes a full member of the military alliance. This was the focus of the debate and leader pages during the past week, and most of them debaters were positive about Sweden's move towards NATO. Fclay underlined However, the importance of continuing to be a voice for peace and limitation of nuclear weapons. Aid to UNRWA, the UN aid organization for Palestinian refugees, also continued to be debated. 

March 4, 2024, Current debate

Week 8: Debaters demand increased support for Ukraine

Last week, the war in Ukraine entered its third year. With that, debaters demanded, among other things, increased military support for Ukraine and tougher sanctions against Russia. Photo: President of Ukraine. Source: Flickr.

Of: The Chancellery

Last week it was two years since Russia began his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which characterized the Swedish opinion pages. Several debaters believed that Sweden, the EU and the world must do more to end the war. 

February 26, 2024, Current debate

The war in Tigray is over, but peace lingers and famine threatens

Several armed conflicts plague Ethiopia and the country's economy is in crisis. The risk of a large-scale disaster is high. In a guest analysis, Pierre Frühling, who has worked with development issues for 40 years, writes about the ongoing conflicts in the country - and what can be done to curb them. Photo: Voice of America. Source: Garystockbridge.

Of: Pierre Frühling

The situation in Ethiopia is critical. There are several armed conflicts going on in the country, while food shortages are spreading and the economy is in crisis. The risk is great for mass starvation i tigray – the region that has been affected by en of today's bloodiest and most destructive wars. Without dialogue between leaders of the country different ethnic groups about how the borders should look between the regions and what kind of governance the country should have, it is difficult to see how any real peace can be achieved in Ethiopia. It writes Pierre springg, former diplomat, aid worker and journalist. 

February 19, 2024, Analysis

Week 6: Artists call for Israel to be excluded from Eurovision

Over 1 artists - including Eric Saade, Robyn and Timbuktu - want to exclude Israel from Eurovision, citing the country's war in Gaza. But the artists' appeal has drawn criticism on, among other things, Dagens Nyheter's editorial page. Photo (left): WAfa/APAimages. Source: Wikimedia commons. Photo (right): AnnCatrin Blyckerts. Source: Wikimedia commons.

Of: Ina Carlsson and Fleur Riller Lendemar

As the European music competition Eurovision song contest approaches, voices around the world have been raised calling for Israel to be removed from the contest - due to the war in Gaza. In a debate article, over 1 artists call the television union EBU for double standards, and Israel's participation in Eurovision for a "trivialization" of violations of international law. Dagens Nyheter's editorial board, on the other hand, believes that it is not hypocritical at all to want to boycott Russia but let Israel into the music competition.

February 12, 2024, Current debate

Week 4: Debater on the NATO process: "Turkey and Hungary seized the opportunity to blackmail Sweden"

Turkey has approved Sweden's NATO application, but Hungary wants to negotiate membership. This was one of the topics that characterized the debate on the opinion pages last week. Photo on the left: European Parliament. Source: Flickr. Photo on the right: Mikhail Klimentyev. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Of: Edvin Borg and Rania Yassin

On January 23, Turkey's parliament approved Sweden's NATO application. This marked the Swedish ones the debate and leader pages of the past week, and several debaters reasoned, among other things, about whether the membership has been discussed sufficiently or not. Even Richard Jomshof's (SD) statement to ban Muslim symbols raisede reactions during the week.  

January 29, 2024, Current debate

After the Russian cyber attacks: Moldova's future cyber protectors are being trained here

Dimitru Ciorba works at Moldova's Technical University, which trains students in digital security – something the country is increasingly in need of after several Russian cyberattacks. Photo: Daniel Díaz.

Of: Daniel Diaz

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Moldova has been subjected to several cyber attacks. To build the country's defenses against cyber attacks, students are being trained in information security at the Technical University of Moldova – an education that is needed more than ever. 

December 22, 2023, FUF-correspondents, Reportage