The Swedish socialist government continues to drag its feet in the question of Swedish NATO member- ship. It wants to be a consumer of security in North Europe but not a provider.
Neutrality is an obsolete term in the post-Soviet era.
If Sweden wants to benefit from the military security provided it should also contribute. In a recent debate in the Swedish parliament Mrs. Lena Hjelm-Wall n attacked the conservatives for promoting Swedish membership at least in the first years of the 21st century. Why Sweden cannot be a member of NATO when the HQ of the Atlantic security organization in Brussels is swarming with Russian generals is hard to understand. Additional cuts threaten Sweden's defense forces. Most probably Sweden already in 1998 cannot defend itself due to cut downs.