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TRANSATLANTIC

Swedes like the US more than the EU: study

Swedes have a more favourable opinion of the United States than they do of the European Union, according to a new study, which also found Sweden to have the lowest opinion of Israel of any EU country.

Published: 17 September 2012 16:17 CEST
Swedes like the US more than the EU: study

A total of 67 percent of Swedes reported having a positive view of the United States, compared with only 64 percent saying they have a favourable opinion of the EU.

The figures come from the 2012 Transatlantic Trends Survey carried out by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the results of which were published on Monday.

The findings also revealed that, aside from Turkey, Sweden the lowest opinion of Israel, with 68 percent of Swedes registering a negative opinion of the country.

“That’s something that is very serious and which I think we need to consider,” Anna Jardfelt, head of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (Utrikespolitiska institutet), told the TT news agency.

She added that the numbers don’t necessarily point to underlying anti-Semitism among Swedes, theorizing instead that the results may have something to do with Sweden’s relationship with Israel or the conflict in the Middle East.

The report also found that a majority of Swedes believed recent military interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya were the right thing to do.

The Transatlantic Trends report found that 56 percent of Swedes think the 2003 invasion of Iraq was the right thing to do, while 62 percent felt the same way about the intervention in Afghanistan.

In the case of Libya, 68 percent of Swedes thought the recent military campaign was the right thing to do, the highest figure reported in all of the countries polled in the study.

And while 48 percent of Swedes are against military intervention in Syria, 44 percent were positive toward sending troops, a figure second only to France (45 percent) among those countries polled.

“These are rather special figures we see for Sweden,” said Jardfelt.

The report also found that Swedes have the most negative view of Russia among the countries included in the report, which was based on responses from 12 EU member states, Russia, Turkey, and the United States.

Only 23 percent of Swedes have a positive view of Russia, compared to 32 percent of Germans.

Swedes were also among those with the most critical views of China, with only 34 percent registering a positive opinion of the country.

Swedes’ scepticism toward the common European currency was evidenced as well, with 84 percent of Swedes saying that the euro had a negative impact on their economy, a 17 percent increase from results of the 2011 Transaltantic Trends report.

Nevertheless, Swedes remained largely satisfied the way that finance minister Anders Borg and the government have handled the economic crisis, with 74 percent approving of how the crisis was managed, the highest figure recorded for any country in the study.

When it comes to US presidential politics, 71 percent of Swedes said they approved of US president Barack Obama’s management of international policies and 79 percent would vote for him if they could in the upcoming US elections.

However, Republican challenger Mitt Romney has considerably less support among Swedes: only 4 percent would vote for him, among the lowest figures recorded in the report.

The Transatlantic Trends report is an annual survey of US and European public opinion and is based on responses gathered by the TNS Opinion polling firm in June 2012.

Sweden was included in the survey for the first time in 2011, with Russia being added for the first time this year. Other EU member states included in the study are Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

TT/The Local/dl

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UNITED STATES

‘The world’s most complete partnership’

On the eve of three important international summits, US ambassador to Sweden Matthew W. Barzun emphasises the importance of the transatlantic partnership as well as Sweden’s constructive role in promoting international engagement.

Published: 18 November 2010 13:49 CET
'The world’s most complete partnership'
Solana, Obama, Barroso, and Reinfeldt at the White House in November 2009

The United States and Europe together comprise the world’s most complete partnership – one characterized by common values, overlapping interests, and shared goals. Each is crucial for the other in facing the challenges and threats of the 21st century. This is why President Obama and my country attach such high importance to our participation in the NATO and the U.S.-EU Summits in Lisbon November 19-20, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Summit in Astana December 1-2.

With a strong transatlantic partnership, the United States and Europe are able to be much more effective in tackling global challenges which face us both: promoting economic growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic, working with developing countries on addressing climate change, confronting violent extremists who threaten peaceful coexistence around the world, preparing Afghan forces to take the lead on security, and preventing an Iran with nuclear weapons, to name a few. Moreover, this transatlantic relationship is not just about what we can do, but also about who we are: the values shared between America and Europe truly do unite us within a transatlantic community.

Challenges these days are often not confined within the borders of the transatlantic community. It is through the many partnerships we have within the context of the strong U.S.-EU relationship, and engagement through multi-lateral institutions such as NATO and the OSCE, that we are able to forge a comprehensive approach for dealing with the full spectrum of security, human rights, rule of law, and economic challenges that our community faces. These institutions are as important now as when they were founded, even as they require a forward-leaning vision for the 21st century environment.

The European Union is a global actor and a critical partner for the United States and Sweden is an important leader within the EU. With the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty last December during Sweden’s presidency, we look to the EU to play an increasing role in all of the most important economic and security issues of our time. U.S.-EU collaboration is comprehensive and intense, on issues from peace in the Middle East and Iran sanctions to combating trafficking in persons. At this first U.S. – EU Summit following the Lisbon Treaty, President Obama will underscore the centrality for the United States of our partnership with Europe. He will seek to deepen that partnership and to strengthen the impact of U.S.-EU coordination in economic recovery and growth, reduction of regulatory barriers to trade, and implementation of commitments from the G20 Summit in Seoul.

Our leaders will also lay the foundation for a substantive Transatlantic Economic Council meeting in December. The Summit will also focus on U.S. and EU efforts to coordinate assistance resources to meet the development needs of poorer nations, enhance joint efforts on counterterrorism and security, and work on critical global challenges such as Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

NATO remains the essential mechanism for U.S. security engagement in Europe and for U.S.-European security cooperation throughout the world. The 28 NATO member countries will adopt a new NATO Strategic Concept at the Lisbon Summit; one which recognizes and orients the Alliance toward new threats, establishes new partnerships while deepening existing ones, and sets forth in a concise and easily understandable way what NATO’s purpose is in the 21st century.

This new Strategic Concept will also help non-NATO members who are important partners in international security, such as Sweden, to work more effectively with NATO when they choose to do so. I welcome the fact that Prime Minister Reinfeldt and Foreign Minister Bildt will be among those from the many partner countries who are part of the ISAF mission who will join with the leaders of NATO member countries and President Karzai in Lisbon to chart a path forward in Afghanistan.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will hold its first summit in 11 years in Astana December 1-2. The OSCE has matured from its Cold War roots to become a global forum intended to strengthen security across political-military, economic-environmental, and human dimensions. At Astana, of particular concern to the United States will be the human dimension of security, including how the OSCE can increase the role of civil society in protecting journalists and the freedom of expression.

I know that Sweden shares our strong concern in these areas, and we look forward to Sweden playing a constructive role in the summit. The United States also will look for new steps to enhance energy security, promote transparency and strengthen good governance across the vast OSCE space. Finally, at Astana the United States will look to strengthen core elements of Europe’s arms control measures, and develop an OSCE crisis response capability so that the international community can respond more effectively to tension between states.

The United States will look to do a great deal alongside our European partners in the coming weeks. To quote Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking earlier this year in Paris: “A strong Europe is critical to our security and prosperity. Much of what we hope to accomplish globally depends on working together with Europe. We need European leadership in the 21st century.”

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