Constructing the Threat, Reconstructing the Self: Russia and Swedish Security Discourse in the NATO Accession Process

Abstract

Sweden’s defence policy has long been defined by a self-image of non-alignment, a tradition spanning over two centuries that emphasises neutrality and avoidance of military alliances. This self-perception is deeply embedded in Swedish national identity. However, rising military tensions in Europe, particularly following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, have challenged this longstanding posture. Sweden’s security environment has shifted, prompting a gradual move toward closer military cooperation, culminating in the decision to join NATO between 2022 and 2024. This thesis explores how Swedish identity as a neutral, non-aligned state is reconstructed within official security discourse during this period of change. Drawing on poststructuralist International Relations theory, the study emphasises the co constitutive relationship between identity and (in)security, analysing how language and discourse shape political subjects and possibilities. It employs Carol Bacchi’s ‘What’s the Problem Represented to be?’ framework to conduct a discourse analysis of Allvarstid (2023), an official security policy report by the Swedish Defence Commission. The findings demonstrate that Russia is discursively constructed as an authoritarian, revisionist and enduring threat, juxtaposed with a Sweden portrayed as democratic, peaceful and rules-based. This binary serves to legitimise Sweden’s strategic departure from non-alignment and entry into NATO, not only as necessary for security but also as morally justified. The report redefines Swedish identity from a neutral outsider to an active, responsible stakeholder in the Euro-Atlantic security order, embedding the alliance within a narrative of shared values and collective responsibility. This thesis shows how security discourse functions as a powerful mechanism for identity rearticulation, illustrating that moments of perceived crisis enable fundamental shifts in national identity construction. By producing new security ‘common sense,’ the discourse foreclosed alternative security arrangements, ultimately reshaping Sweden’s political subjectivity and its place in international security politics.