Sweden signed a defence deal. It looks like Sweden has been at war with the US and lost, writes Jan Guillon in this note that was printed in Aftonbladet 25th of February -23 and printed in Norwegian translation in Klassekampen 9th of March - 23.
It looks like Sweden has been at war with the US and lost. At least when you read the latest defence deal between our (Swedish) government and the US government. It introduces American sovereignty in Sweden.
This is of course not the image conveyed in media. From Rapports (Swedish news) coverage I only remember images of a tiny, happy Swedish defence minister and a huge, grumpy American defence minister signing the secret deal, as if it was an ordinary routine deal. It is not. It is unique in our history and has unfathomable consequences. It’s about complete submission.
Right at the beginning of the deal it states that the US shall have “unlimited access to and use of predetermined bases and areas”.
Exactly. What are these predetermined bases and areas? They are listed on page 37. It involves All Swedish air-bases, and all military installations, 17 in total. In practice this means that the US will have unlimited control of all of the Swedish defence system, unhindered, power.
On undefined defence installations certain areas will be closed off as “only US military access”, where US jurisdiction will apply. But not only that. “On request” the US will have rights to use private lands, property, roads, ports and airports.
The States are also at liberty to “develop areas and facilities” for storage and defence equipment. There are no limitations for weaponry, not even nuclear arms (article 14), The parties “may consult on the aforementioned to the extent it is deemed necessary.”
Over a great number of pages the rights and benefits American soldiers based in Sweden shall have. American personnel, their families and civilian employees will be exempt from normal passport and visa demands. American military ID will be used in their place. Swedish Security police shall not control or put surveillance on American personnel. All cars owned by American personnel will have untraceable Swedish numberplates. All American personnel is exempt from paying tax, including taxation on purchases, even through customs bringing purchases in or out of Sweden, including unlimited sums of currency. American airplanes shall have unlimited access to Swedish airspace, just like all American ships will have unlimited access to Swedish territorial waters.
American airplanes nor ships can be inspected by Swedish authorities and so on in a very long list of decisions.
Sweden will forgo all criminal jurisdiction (article 12) when it comes to American personnel, their families and civilian employees. But in a slight contradiction it says: "if a member of the American forces or a family member is prosecuted by Swedish police, the jurisdiction is in the hands of Swedish courts.”
It sounds reasonable. But; “cannot be prosecuted in absentia” (12:4) , and if the trial lasts longer than a year it is void. As Swedish police cannot enter American suspects on their base, the American soldiers can in effect, together with the Swedish head of State, enjoy full immunity against prosecutions.
Civil law claims can not be directed at American personnel (article 15), and the list goes on to tiny issues like exemptions from paying TV- licence, but having to pay for bridge/ferry fees. And finally the not so surprising decision that Swedish trade union rules/rights are deemed null and void on American bases. (page 36)
The American contract makers – there are no traces of Swedish ones – seem to have thought about everything. But they do have experience from all the countries they have occupied earlier. Maybe they just took the capitulation agreement from, for example, Iraq down from a shelf and adjusted it a little.
Even the right to have their own tax-free zones for recreation, shopping, entertainment, hamburger bars and tax free alcohol has been examined.
The Swedish government may have put Swedish defence systems in the hands of Trump.
This Swedish submission to a superpower isn’t completely unique. But one has to go back to the second have of the 1700’s to find anything similar. Back then it was Russia who controlled Swedish foreign policies for a while.
This new submission is however voluntary and has nothing to do with NATO. The contract is strictly between Sweden and the US. Come Autumn we might see that the Kristofferson (Swedish PM) - government may have put Sweden’s defence in president Donald Trump's hands, even if he pulls the US out of NATO.
This is a scandal like no other. It is absolutely mind boggling how this could happen in secret, without it being discussed by the political opposition in the Foreign affairs Committee. Because that’s the way it must have happened. The other parties can’t have agreed with this and kept their mouths shut? And what were the government thinking? Are the “nationalists” in Swedish Democrats also prepared to sell Sweden’s sovereignty and shut up about it too? Who really wants to make Sweden Russia’s prime target in Europe in case of war? There are about 126 questions to ask in this the greatest political scandal in my lifetime. I generously leave that job to my younger journalist colleagues. Go!
If that's true, it's utterly insane. What sovereign nation would countenance such a thing?
ReplyDeleteThe question is what have Swedish authorities got in return for agreeing to such extensive freedoms and immunity within Swedish jurisdiction?
ReplyDeleteSovereignty has become a secret ' movable feast '
ReplyDelete