รัฐบาลสวีเดนชี้นิ้วไม่ให้ประชาชนต่อต้าน สนธิสัญญาไม่เสมอภาคกับ USA

 The government's response is a middle finger to us all

Jan Guillou

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

Published 06.50

Defense Minister Pål Jonson.

Defense Minister Pål Jonson.

Photo: Magnus Sandberg

By means of a proclamation in Svenska Dagbladet, signed by Defense Minister Pål Jonson and seconders from L and KD, the government has finally met the criticism of its defense agreement with the USA.

It's just that the text is rudeness with a strong smell of contempt for the democratic conversation. In addition, unabashedly threatening to anyone who shows a different opinion.

Otherwise there would have been a lot to explain and defend. Namely, the DCA agreement, as it is called, makes astonishing reading. It looks like a surrender document after a lost war. The victorious US gets "unhindered access" to Swedish territorial waters, territory and airspace as well as 17 important military facilities, air bases, naval ports and army installations.

The US also gets the right to build closed areas on these bases where we natives or our authorities do not have access. In addition, upon request, the US gets access to private land, roads, harbors and airports and the right to build its own areas for leisure purposes with hamburger joints as well as VAT-exempt alcohol service. American military personnel, their family members and servants are above the Swedish law. Not even Säpo is allowed to inspect their vehicles or homes. Full duty-free entry and exit and VAT exemption applies to the entire foreign army. Civil action may not be taken against them.

This is how you can count up in a few more columns. It is hard to believe that our members of parliament bothered to read this agreement text.

There should be about a hundred oddities in this agreement which will soon be sent to the Riksdag's button press company. From small questions such as whether American children's driver's licenses should be valid in Sweden, to big questions about why the agreement does not regulate nuclear weapons on Swedish territory.

This is taken lightly in the government proclamation in Svenska Dagbladet. The text consists for the most part of space-consuming chatter and meaningless but big words: "The agreement is a cornerstone for the defense of Northern Europe", "broad political support in the Riksdag", "we stand in solidarity with our friends", "security and stability", "broad consensus regarding how we in Sweden view nuclear weapons", "Russia is prepared to take major political and military risks". Babble, that is. And thus a middle finger to all of us.

On just four of the hundreds of possible points, the government pleases to come up with counterarguments. They say that there is nothing strange about tax exemptions for foreign soldiers and make a heartbreaking comparison with an upcoming Swedish battalion in the Baltics. Which, however, is unlikely to be exempt from VAT and customs duties, treated with tax-free alcohol or allocated its own territories for entertainment.

It is said that the agreement is based on respect for Swedish legislation. That is simply not true. According to the agreement, the imagined American soldier box in Sweden is clearly above Swedish law.

It is said that if Americans commit crimes in Sweden, we can judge them in a Swedish court "if we think it is of importance to us". It's bullshit. The agreement opens many loopholes.

Finally, it is said that "nuclear weapons or permanent bases in Sweden are not relevant".

It's the kind of clever political lie that looks true. It is clear that it is not "current". At the moment, there is no American base in Sweden, thus no permanent one either. Nuclear weapons are also not "topical" at the moment. But our neighboring countries have, in their similar agreements with the United States, banned nuclear weapons on their own territory. Finland has even legislated to ban nuclear weapons. Before it becomes "topical", that is.

In ordinary old-fashioned political discussion, the government stands seemingly flat against the flood of criticism. Therefore, those who speak out are threatened: "Actors who want to harm Sweden's interests may distort the intent and content of the DCA agreement."

Anyone who criticizes this subjugation agreement with the USA is thus a criminal, "an actor who wants to harm Sweden".

It should be reminded that this agreement binds us to the United States regardless of NATO membership and regardless of whether the United States under President Donald Trump leaves NATO. The US has entered one disastrous war after another in modern times, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. And now we are prisoners of contract aboard the aircraft carrier not knowing where we are going and having no say.

Furthermore, I believe that..

...the media's talk of "human shields" in Gaza is getting weirder and weirder. No human shields work against the Israeli military force. Because the Israelis wantonly and essentially kill civilians.

... it is depressing that only two members of the Riksdag out of probably dozens with a dissenting opinion dared to vote with conviction in Wednesday's ruling on children's right to self-gender diagnosis.