สวีเดนยอมเป็นเมืองขึ้นของ USA. โดยสมัครใจ

 

Sweden has voluntarily submitted to the USA ( สวีเดนยอมเป็นเมืองขึ้นของ USA. โดยสมัครใจ )

 

Sweden has voluntarily submitted to the USA

Jan Guillou

This is a commenting text. Analysis and positions are the writer's.

Published 10.08

In the defense agreement between Sweden and the United States, American sovereignty is introduced.

    In the defense agreement between Sweden and the United States, American sovereignty is introduced.

    Photo: Malin Lövkvist

It looks as if Sweden was at war with the USA and lost. At least when you read the latest defense deal between our government and the US. There, American supremacy is introduced in Sweden.

It is of course not the image conveyed by the media. From Rapport's coverage, I only remember images of a happy little Swedish defense minister and a grumpy American defense minister when they sign the secret agreement, as if it were just another routine agreement. It is not. It is unique in our history and incomprehensibly far-reaching. It is about total submission.

Already at the beginning of the text of the agreement, it is stated that the United States shall have "unhindered access to and use of agreed facilities and areas".

Yes. And what are these agreed facilities and areas? They are listed on page 37. These are all of Sweden's air flotillas and all major army installations, 17 in all listed. It is thus in practice the whole of Sweden's defense where the US is to have "unhindered", i.e. unlimited power.

At unspecified defense facilities, certain areas will also be cordoned off where "only US forces will have access to and use" and where US jurisdiction will apply. But that's not enough. “Upon request” the United States shall have access to and use of private land and private assets, including roads, ports, and airports.

The US also gets the right to freely expand "areas and facilities" to store weapons and defense equipment. No exceptions are specified for the type of weapon, not even nuclear weapons (Article 14). The parties "can consult on the above to the extent necessary".

Defense Minister Pål Jonson and US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin.

    Defense Minister Pål Jonson and US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin.

    Photo: Jack Sanders/U.S. Air Force

Then the benefits and rights of the American soldier stationed in Sweden are listed on a large number of pages. American personnel in Sweden, their family members and civilian employees, must be granted passport and visa freedom, American military identification applies instead, Swedish security police may not control or monitor American personnel, all cars owned by serving Americans must be fitted with Swedish license plates, which, however, must not can be tracked, all American personnel are tax-exempt, also for VAT on their purchases and must enjoy full duty-free status on all goods they want to take out or into the country, which also applies to currency without restrictions, American aviation must freely dispose of Swedish airspace just as American shipping disposes Swedish territorial waters.

American aviation or shipping may not be inspected by Swedish authorities and so on in a very long series of regulations.

Furthermore, "Sweden hereby refrains from exercising criminal jurisdiction" (Article 12) over US military personnel, their family members and civilian personnel. Somewhat contradictory, it is said in the same section (Article 12:3) that "if a member of the American forces or a relative is prosecuted by Swedish authorities, the jurisdiction shall be exercised by a Swedish court".

Sounds reasonable. But: "must not be prosecuted in absentia (12:4) and if the legal procedure drags on for more than a year, it is invalid. Since Swedish police cannot bring in suspected Americans from their bases, it means in practice that the American soldiers, in the unexpected company of the Swedish head of state, enjoy immunity from punishment.

Civil claims may not be made against US personnel (Article 15) and so the list goes on down to small things like exemption from any TV fees (Article 17), the right to use US stamps, but obligation to pay bridge and ferry tolls. And finally the unsurprising provision that Swedish trade union rules and rights are invalid. On page 36.

“Upon request” the United States shall have access to and use of private land and private assets, including roads, ports, and airports.

“Upon request” the United States shall have access to and use of private land and private assets, including roads, ports, and airports.

    Photo: Karl Melander / TT News Agency

The American authors of the agreement – there is no trace of Swedish ones – seem to have thought of everything. But they have long experience from all the countries they occupied. Maybe they just took down the agreement on capitulation with, for example, Iraq from some shelf and carved it a little.

Even the right to dispose of own tax-exempt areas for recreation, shopping, entertainment, hamburger jams and tax-free liquor has been considered (Article 21).

This Swedish submission to a great power is not entirely historically unique. But you have to go back to the second half of the 18th century to find something similar. Back then, it was Russia that decided Swedish foreign policy for a while.

However, this new submission is voluntary and has nothing to do with NATO, the contract only applies between the US and Sweden. This fall, it may turn out that the Kristersson government has put Sweden's defense forces in the hands of President Donald Trump, even if he pulls the United States out of NATO.

​This is not just any scandal. It is incomprehensible how this could happen in secret without the slightest discussion in the Foreign Affairs Committee with the political opposition. Because that's how it must have happened. Couldn't S, V, MP and C have agreed on this and also kept their mouths shut? And what was the government thinking? Are the "nationalists" in SD really agreeing to sell out Sweden's independence and are they keeping their mouths shut too? Who really wanted to make Sweden Russia's absolute primary target in Europe in the event of war?

There are approximately 126 additional questions to ask about this one of the biggest political scandals of my lifetime. I generously hand over that job to my younger journalist colleagues. Bus on!

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