Månad: augusti 2025

[…] In the Scotland accord, the US administration agreed to lower tariffs from the threatened 30 percent to 15 percent on basically all European goods. Aircraft parts, national resources, and critical minerals are exempted from tariffs, and other goods will be added but are still to be discussed. No exceptions were made for cars, which will be subject to the 15 percent tariff instead of the much higher rate previously threatened. Pharmaceuticals are still hit with a 15 percent tariff as of August 1, according to the White House—but only after the US investigations into allegedly unfair trade practices under Section 302 of the US Trade Act have been completed, according to the European Commission. The 50 percent duties on steel, copper, and aluminum remain.

Other parts of the accord are more ambiguous. The European Union, for example, promises to purchase $750 billion worth of American oil, gas, and nuclear fuel, partly to phase out the dependence on Russia that some member states still face. Many experts question the realism of such a sum, however. The European Union also commits to invest a further $600 billion in the United States, in military equipment and other areas. But these commitments are subject to member state competence and are up to countries and individual companies to deliver. The European Commission claims that these sums are more an estimation of what companies have announced already. This investment is non-binding and more of an intention, according to the European side, whereas the White House sees it as a promise until 2028. It is questionable how these investments can be measured and evaluated. […]

The most worrying outcome of this deal is that it confirms the false narrative of the Trump administration as it relates to trade. At the press conference President von der Leyen talked about the need to correct the trade balance and that the United States had been unfairly treated because of the trade deficit with Europe in goods. This concession goes totally against the traditional line of the European Commission and the member states, which have always argued that that the United States has a trade surplus with Europe when it comes to financial and other services, and that trade imbalances are not necessarily bad. Läs artikel

The United States, the United Kingdom, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden condemn the growing number of state threats from Iranian intelligence services in our respective territories.

We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America in clear violation of our sovereignty.  These services are increasingly collaborating with international criminal organizations to target journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens, and current and former officials in Europe and North America.  This is unacceptable.

We consider these types of attacks, regardless of the target, as violations of our sovereignty.  We are committed to working together to prevent these actions from happening and we call on the Iranian authorities to immediately put an end to such illegal activities in our respective territories.  Läs uttalandet

Det finns mycket att lära av Rysslands invasion av Ukraina. Inte minst att det aggressiva landet inte respekterar krigets lagar eller folkrätten och att såväl civilbefolkning som infrastruktur anses vara legitima mål. Sverige behöver därför poliser som kan stå upp mot främmande makt vid en invasion.

Försvarsmaktens rapport “Försvarsmaktens lärdomar från kriget i Ukraina” konstaterar att Ryssland bedöms ha begått omfattande och allvarliga krigsbrott genom exempelvis avrättning av civila och urskillningslösa anfall mot såväl sjukhus, kraftförsörjning och kulturella objekt.

Det är den verklighet som utredningen om polisiär beredskap (SOU 2025:57) skall ställas mot. Utredningen föreslår att den nuvarande ordningen som innebär att polismän förväntas växla mellan uppgifter av civil och militär karaktär skall avskaffas till förmån för att poliser alltid skall ha civil status.

Utredningen landar i att Polisen inte skall anses ha en aktiv roll att spela för att försvara landet vid angrepp, utöver sitt civila uppdrag. Det borde regeringen bortse från, och i stället se till att den svenska polisen har en juridiskt entydig status och rätt befogenheter – ett tydligt uppdrag att bidraga till väpnat försvar. Läs artikel

The multination Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) has since last weekend  been patrolling the Norwegian- and Barents Seas in what is said to ”protect critical sea lines of communication” and reflects ongoing concern with maritime security.

”Our operations in the Arctic and High North reflect the Alliance’s enduring commitment to peace, stability, and freedom of navigation. Operating in this region demands resilience, adaptability, and seamless cooperation – qualities NATO forces continue to demonstrate every day,” the Alliance stated in a press release.

The release is dated July 28 and includes a photo from the Barents Sea. Hours before, Russia launched multiple missiles in the same Barents Sea. […]

The Barents Sea north of the Kola Peninsula is highly sensitive for the Russian nuclear-armed submarine fleet. In recent years, the Northern Fleet has exercised more intensively in Norwegian Exclusive Economic Zone, like last week when an area more than twice the size of Denmark was marked as ”dangerous” because missile firing.

About half of the area was in the Russian exclusive economic zone, while the other was in Norwegian waters. The area covered most of the southern part of the previous disputed waters between Norway and Russia. Läs artikel