Läs mer

Journalistförbundet har lämnat remissvar på en promemoria från Försvarsdepartementet. Promemorian med namnet ”Förbättrade förutsättningar för Sverige i Nato – några frågor om sekretess” (Ds 2024:34) innehåller förslag om långtgående inskränkningar av den grundlagsskyddade handlingsoffentligheten. Bakgrunden är de behov som anses finnas av att skydda uppgifter inom ramen för Natosamarbetet.

I promemorian föreslås en ny bestämmelse i offentlighets- och sekretesslagen som innebär att en uppgift som förekommer inom ramen för Natosamarbetet omfattas av sekretess om det kan antas att Sveriges möjlighet att delta i samarbetet försämras om uppgiften röjs. Även uppgifter som är ”harmlösa”, men som Sverige på grund av ingångna avtal är skyldigt att hemlighålla kan omfattas av sekretess. Journalistförbundet avstyrker förslaget.

– I praktiken innebär förslaget att det är andra Nato-länder och inte Sverige som har makten över vilka uppgifter som ska omfattas av sekretess och inte. Om förslaget blir verklighet kommer det kraftigt att försämra insynen i försvarssamarbetet. Läs artikel

United States arms-makers are being frozen out of the European Union’s massive new defense spending plan, which aims to splash the cash for EU and allied countries, according to defense spending plans released Wednesday.

Also left out — for now — is the United Kingdom.

“We must buy more European. Because that means strengthening the European defense technological and industrial base,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in announcing the Readiness 2030 program.

In a bid to strengthen ties with allies, Brussels involved countries like South Korea and Japan and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in its program that could see as much as €800 billion spent on defense.

“We need to see not only Russia as a threat, but also … more global geopolitical developments and where Americans will put their strategic attention,” European Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told reporters.

In recent years, about two-thirds of EU procurement orders have gone to U.S. defense companies. Läs artikel

UiT The Arctic University of Norway and Professor of High North Studies, Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen, believes the Arctic is divided between a NATO-led western Arctic and a Russian Arctic with close ties to the BRICS countries, particularly China and India. The Arctic’s delineation of global power constellations can be traced far back and will also continue into the future.

He believes there are two common, but incorrect, narratives about the Arctic. One is based on the idea of ’Arctic exceptionalism’ – that the cooperation in the Arctic is not impacted by conflict in other areas. The other is the narrative around the interest in the Arctic and that the region gained importance in the last 15 years due to climate change and a race for resources.

However, the Arctic has reflected international orders for centuries, he writes in a new research article. The increasing rivalry between the West and a growing non-western bloc led by China and Russia is no exemption. […]

Bertelsen writes that the Arctic is now divided between a NATO Arctic, spearheaded by the US, and a Russian Arctic, seeking cooperation with BRICS+ countries. This reflects a global rivalry between the US/NATO and Russia/China, in which cooperation is minimal and the risk of conflict is heightened.

The researcher believes the world is heading toward a deep and long-term conflict between the US and NATO+ on one side and BRICS+ on the other. This divide will impact the Arctic, in which geopolitical tensions will likely strengthen instead of decreasing. This will lead to more conflict and less economic development and growth, as opposed to the globalization after the Cold War. […]

”The US will maintain a strong interest in the Barents region to threaten the Russian nuclear deterrent (US counterforce strategy), as well as for access to intelligence aimed at Russia, which is reflected in Norwegian-US intelligence cooperation throughout the Cold War and later,” the researcher concludes.   Läs artikel

I 75 år har det varit en fyrstjärnig general från USA som övervakar alla Natos militära operationer i Europa.

Men snart kan det vara slut på det eftersom Trump-administrationen överväger att ge upp Natobefälet, uppger källor till NBC News.

”Om USA ger upp rollen som Natos överbefälhavare skulle det ses i Europa som en tydlig signal om att vi överger alliansen”, skriver den pensionerade amiralen James Stavridis och kallar ett sådant scenario ”ett politiskt misstag av episka proportioner”. Läs artikel

Today, President Trump and President Putin spoke about the need for peace and a ceasefire in the Ukraine war. Both leaders agreed this conflict needs to end with a lasting peace. They also stressed the need for improved bilateral relations between the United States and Russia. The blood and treasure that both Ukraine and Russia have been spending in this war would be better spent on the needs of their people.

This conflict should never have started and should have been ended long ago with sincere and good faith peace efforts. The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace. These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East. Läs presmeddelandet

[…] Burilkov har bidratt til en studie som viser at Europa kan trenge 300.000 flere soldater for å avskrekke Russland. De kommer i tillegg til de 1,47 millioner europeerne som er i aktiv tjeneste.

– Skal man skaffe så mange nye soldater, må verneplikt spille en rolle, sier han.

Over hele Europa ser myndighetene på hvordan de kan styrke forsvarsbudsjettene. Samtidig truer USA med å trekke sine sikkerhetsgarantier tilbake. Men land som Frankrike og Storbritannia har hatt problemer med å rekruttere og beholde soldater. Å gjeninnføre en form for verneplikt – enten obligatorisk eller frivillig – kan bli enda mer utfordrende.

De fleste europeiske landene avskaffet verneplikten etter den kalde krigen. Norge er ett av ni land som beholdt alminnelig verneplikt. De åtte andre er Hellas, Kypros, Østerrike, Sveits, Danmark, Estland, Finland og Tyrkia.

YouGov har gjennomført en meningsmåling som viser støtte for obligatorisk militærtjeneste i Frankrike (68 prosent) og Tyskland (58 prosent). I Italia og Storbritannia er opinionen delt, mens et flertall av spanjolene (53 prosent) er imot. […]

Polen avskaffet verneplikten i 2008, men har planer om å tilby frivillig militær opplæring til 100.000 sivile fra 2027. Tysklands påtroppende statsminister Friedrich Merz støtter innføring av ett års obligatorisk samfunnstjeneste i både militær og sivil sektor. I Storbritannia ble verneplikten avskaffet i 1963.

– Vi vurderer ikke verneplikt, men vi har kunngjort en betydelig økning i forsvarsbudsjettet, sier Pat McFadden, som er Minister for Intergovernmental Relations. Han har ansvaret for at regjeringsapparatene i England, Wales, Skottland og Nord-Irland fungerer godt sammen. Läs artikel

[…] Just 50% of the public now say they trust the United States. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told citizens that whilst he retained confidence in Finland’s most important ally, he also acknowledged that the United States had changed. Just two years ago, Finland’s NATO accession had seemingly cracked its century-old dilemma of surviving next door to its former overlord and great power neighbour, Russia. Now, according to an unconfirmed newspaper report, Finland has begun exploring a Plan B in case NATO’s Article 5 fails to function as intended.

This comment evaluates Helsinki’s options regarding its national security. We argue that a viable Plan B exists – the ‘Nordic Plus’ – but, like all European defence initiatives, it comes with uncertainties and cannot compensate for potential US disengagement. […]

For the next four years, the implementation of Article 5 relies on a somewhat whimsical American president who has on multiple public occasions expressed confidence in Russian president Vladimir Putin over America’s longstanding European allies.

Läs mer

As the rivalry in the high North heats up, Russia has expressed concern that NATO-member Norway is militarizing ‘Svalbard,’ an island territory in the Arctic that remains under Norwegian control but holds immense strategic value for Moscow.

In a statement last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow has expressed its concerns to Norwegian Ambassador to Russia Robert Kvile on Oslo’s increasing militarization of the Svalbard archipelago, TASS News Agency reported. 

The statement read: “On March 14, during a working meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway Robert Kvile, the Russian side expressed its concern over Norway’s growing militarization of the Svalbard archipelago.” Läs artikel

The Security Council today condemned the widespread violence perpetrated in Syria’s Latakia and Tartus provinces since 6 March — including mass killings of civilians among the Alawite community — calling on the interim authorities to protect all Syrians without distinction.

Unanimously adopting a presidential statement (to be issued as document S/PRST/2025/4), the 15-nation organ also condemned attacks targeting civilian infrastructure.  It called on all parties to immediately cease all violence and inflammatory activities and ensure the protection of all civilian populations and infrastructure, as well as humanitarian operations.  Further, all parties and States must ensure full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to those affected and the humane treatment of all persons.  The Council also urged a rapid increase of humanitarian support across Syria.

Recalling resolution 2254 (2015), the Council called on all States to respect Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity and refrain from any action or interference that may further destabilize the country.  It further urged Syria to take decisive measures to address the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, underscoring its obligations under relevant Council resolutions related to counter-terrorism. Läs artikel