It’s been described as a bombshell moment. The upper echelons of Sweden’s government and defence forces last week shocked the nation by explicitly warning that war might come to Sweden, and that each and every Swede should prepare themselves. While some have taken the warning seriously and flocked to the stores to stock up on fuel and survival kits, others have accused the country’s leaders of fear-mongering
Swede here, what panic is the article refering to?
Maybe the upcoming NATO exercise? It has caused similar reactions in other EU countries (dumb people thinking it means a war is imminent).
An exercise in panic?
That’s basically some people’s entire lives.
Haven’t had a single conversation about it. It was barely a blip on the radar for most swedes. They made sure to say it’s nothing other than for the unknown possibility. Since Sweden hasn’t really experienced anything war related in the way most other countries have for a long time, I think this was needed. Just so more people have even the most basic things for if it happens.
Well, everyone who reads/watches/listen to the news are sure to have heard it. It was major news. But if the Swedes does something about it is another question.
You should actually always be prepared for things like that. My government says people should keep enough things for two weeks, just in case. It’s good advice. You never know when some manic dictator launches a multi-front blitzkrieg he can’t win, but will devastate the whole region
The two weeks preparedness have been around for a long time in Sweden. It is far from what this issue is about. One of the issues was the goverment’s focus on that you should be prepared to die in war. Sure, it is true that you as a Swedish citizen may have to put you life on the line in case of war. But them focusing on that you should be prepared to die just framed it as if war is coming definetly and soon. The second issue is that the current government is obsessed with fearmongering about immigrants. One of the big points they made was that people who have immigrated and earned their citizenship will not be as willing to protect the country in case of war. I read a title of an article today that said experts have critiqued this statement and said it may actually be the other way around.
I read a title of an article today that said experts have critiqued this statement and said it may actually be the other way around
Makes sense, they’re the ones who had to work for it.
Well, it’s because there can always be a power outtage or they have to shutdown the water mains or in my country more likely a flood. All of those are agazillion times more likely than a war, but still reason enough to at least have some supplies.
What’s the logic in two weeks of provisions? Day 15 sounds like it would be just as much of a shit show as days 1-14.
Just holding out until more organised help can arrive or your government takes over. This is also in general good advice in case of say natural disasters. Roads may be flooded, areas covered in snow or electricity is out for a few days. Having enough canned food, water, maybe some firewood or alternative means of cooking will come in useful in these circumstances.
so you don’t starve while acquiring more or evacuating.
Two weeks is a suggestion, you can do more if you like. There’s no hard limit.
Well, technically there is a hard upper limit at the point where the first necessary nutrient isn’t available in the form of some food (or pill,…) that lasts that long I suppose.
I’d call that more if a soft limit as I doubt its definable that far in the future.
“If you want peace, be prepared for war.” — various warmongers through the ages
Meanwhile, one of the most quoted person on the topic of war:
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
Well there is single battles aka fighting, and there is the war as an armed conflict as a whole.
A succesful siege, while brutal to the besieged, falls under the quote, as the enemy is subdued without a fight
Burn the gun registries and put a few anti tank rockets and some hand grenades in every home within 50 miles of the border, mine the land near the border.
That will at least make it extremely costly to accomplish having invaded at all, and give Russia a reason to stop before they’re so far in that stopping counts as retreat.
Swede here, we are so fucked. Our army is cut to the bone since the 80s. We will be conquered faster than Denmark during ww2, no mather how weak the Russians are. And private gun ownership is legal but they treat them as pedofiles. Thank you Social Democrates…
Lmfao what does Russia even has to do with Sweden?
we are so fucked
Yes, if Sweden were to be populated only by people that associate the Russia-Ukraine situation with “we are gonna get invaded by russia because the donbass did”, I would say you are fucked, because it’s quite hard to run a proper democracy with a population lacking basic history and geopolitical knowledge.
And private gun ownership
Ah yes, private gun ownership, the true horseman of a country’s defense when getting invaded by another. Lol.
Thank you Social Democrates…
You have the luck to live in one of the countries with one of the most solid/corruption-free democracies and level of education in the world (even though it doesn’t appear to be true for all sweds) and you have the audacity to come here and complain that you cant carry a gun around and accusing your fellow sweds of voting for the same politics that allowed your country to reach such progress… As an italian, I would kill to have my country’s politics elevated to that level, from the corruption shit-show that they have basically been for all history.
Seriousy, educate yourself, especially on what war in Ukraine. Thanks. Do it for your country and for its democracy.
The socdems and left wing no longer espouse the politics that allowed us to develop to this point. Under their reign 2014-2022 the decline of electricity infrastructure, welfare, law & order as well as social cohesion has rapidly increased. I can go into details if you’d like, but the long and short of it is that they aren’t really a “workers party” with classic socdem values anymore. It’s getting to the point that many in our national union think it should disassociate from the socdems.
What the fuck did the Donbas had to do with anything. I said that our military spending and politics was a joke. And nordic country has the military capability to invade sweden successfully with the shitshow of military we got.
Yes, a sound relationship with firearms gains both the war movement in case of war and if all else fails a gurilla war. Like Finland or Switzerland.
Solid/ non-corrupt my ass, their as full with shit as at where you are. They just hide it better, explain the cocain partys that where uncovered this week at our parliment if you would like. Their bought and corupted as any filthy politician.
They WHERE progress, but for the last 40 years they broken down this beutiful and well oiled country to shit. Thanks to them every swede at night gets to worrie if we get to die in a bombing, getting our children shot in a gang shootout or having our wifes or daughters raped by the scum that your country let over the mediterranean sea.
Go fuck yourself, I am educated, I live here - dont lecture me about this shithole.
And nordic country has the military capability to invade sweden successfully with the shitshow of military we got.
Ah yes, Norway and Finland, you better keep an eye on them, you never know when they might decide to invade another country…
What the fuck did the Donbas had to do with anything
It seems you missed that the war fearmongering the article is trying to spread is being justified by the russian invasion of ukraine (for some reason…?)