Seminars • October 12, 2011
Fredrik Reinfeldt on Sweden’s role in the world
Sweden’s Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Stockholm University, September 27th, 2011 © Utrikespolitiska Föreningen Stockholm.
Seminar account
By Robert Tadjer
The speech was held Tuesday, September 27th. (Klicka här för att läsa seminariereferatet på svenska.)
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt began with saying he would deliver a speech on the global shift of power, the United Nations system, the Arab spring, as well as gender equality and women’s rights in society.
Reinfeldt claims that we are moving from a superpower, USA, to a multipolar world. Those who are considered rich have problems and others are growing. The Prime Minister welcomes these changes and democracy is seen in new regions, Asia, Latin America and the Arab world. At the same time Obama in USA is looking inwards after two wars, Iraq and Afghanistan, which according to the Prime Minister were carried out with borrowed money.
United States leading positions is threatened. The country has been downgraded from its AAA credit position. It is a rich nation living beyond its means. We see a gradual shift of ownership in USA towards China and Japan. Furthermore, the Republicans are viewed as overideological, while the Prime Minister advocates pragmatism.
Even though the Prime Minister welcomes a multipolar world, the transatlantic is emphasised, if it weakens the prospect of democracy is also reduced.
The Prime Minister says that no one is unaffected by the liquidity problems and more economical crisis management is expected in Europe.
- Our bank system was also on the verge of collapse. We are intimately connected with the surrounding world.
In southern Europe, it has first occurred in banks and now whole countries.
- We cannot solve financial problems only with national solutions. We rebuilt and expanded.
Viewpoints on the bonus systems exists, the risks must be controlled and processed.
- Financial supervision must be transnational. We have worked with that mostly under Swedish leadership.
The Greek crisis
The debt itself runs amok in Greece. It now stands at 160 %. There are other Mediterranean (and Ireland) countries with similar problems. How the financial crisis is handled affects the public.
The Prime Minister would like to see an advancement of EU17. It resembles more an intergovernmental cooperation, as between France and Germany. The basic problem is on the other hand that countries do not implement their recovery programmes. Look at those implementing it, such as Latvia and Ireland. They face a lot of respect.
The UN General Assembly
The Prime Minister spoke in the United Nations General Assembly after Abbas and Netanyahu. Somewhat jokingly the Prime Minister said that someone was hopefully listening on the way out.
Obama is actually saying that USA is taking a step back and you may solve it yourself. Israel have become isolated with Netanyahu and it has not been good.
The Arab spring
It can be established that young people on the Internet have got to feel democracy and hope. At the same time one may ascertain the difficulties.
Mahmoud Jibril in the National Transitional Council has said that Sweden can strengthen the civil society.
- But what is the civil society in Libya? Who is the candidate? What will happen to women’s rights? At the same time the fighting is not over. This will be a great test for a long time, says the Prime Minister.
Women’s human rights
Wherever women gained influence we see more justice and equality, and less corruption. In many countries women are not allowed to make their own decisions, drive and vote.
The Prime Minister said that development aid is important and that girls get the opportunity to attend school. Belarus was given as an example that it is important to crack the code of parental care, so men take care of children, which leads to a better allocation of responsibilities.
The speech is followed by question time with the audience
(The questions and answers have been shortened in this text)
Should poverty not be eliminated first in the fight against international terrorism?
- Inquest has found three kinds of terrorism in Sweden, religious, often Islamic, right-wing extremism and autonomous left extremism. It is not so easy to say it is only poverty, particularly in Sweden it is ideology and what is going on in people’s minds.
How does one know it lies in the gender?
- Researched have been looked at and women make better choices for the household economy.
How does the escalating military presence affect Sweden’s security in the world?
- We believe that we are in Afghanistan and Libya for a lasting peace. It was just not that women had no rights, but Afghanistan was a training ground for terrorists and it has been a drug economy.
Jibril said that Sweden can help with humanitarian efforts. Then there are those who only focus on the JAS planes.
Question on The Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society’s statements on arms export to dictatorships.
- The West believes a lot in democracy and there are assumptions that do not coincide with reality.
We can contribute with actual help for the formation of parties in tribal societies. The old fraction is still in Egypt and we hope it will not be the same in Libya.
The Swedish government is not exporting weapons, companies do. This is done by an authority separate from the government. We have a broad parliamentary control.
We are not certain that they will not go an extremist path. It is very young populations in countries without experience and confidence in the alternative – democracy. They have a tremendous long way ahead.
- I had not thought we would have seen this, said the Prime Minister.
Is it not bad for Sweden’s reputation that Bildt has been accused for his business affairs in Lundin Oil?
- I might talk to other or the wrong people on Bildt. He is one of the most experienced foreign ministers. He knows how to use clear cut sanctions rather than sweeping moves.
What would the Prime Minister do in Obama’s shoes?
- Obama has domestic economic problems. We see no solution from either party.
China and Russia
China felt that one should not have viewpoints on internal affairs. The United Nations has concluded that there are universal and individual rights of freedom. We do not therefore accept female genital mutilation and child marriages.
In China and Russia the men in power change place with each other. We have got Capitalist Communism in China, the Prime Minister wonders what it really is.
- These Chinese leaders are all engineers, all are of advanced age, and they all view Sweden as balanced. We have continuously delegations to Sweden from China that among other things look to sustainability.
The Prime Minister view China as an inherent pressure cooker. There are 250 million rich against 750 million poor. It cannot continue anyhow. One is struck by the nationalism in China and the question on Tibet and Taiwan is sensitive. This should be kept under check and long-term, it is dangerous.
