Svensk biståndspolitik: ett skifte från humanitär välvilja till strategiska intressen?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine whether the primary motive behind Swedish foreign aid policy has shifted from humanitarian principles to national strategic interests between 2002 and 2024. Previous research points to a global trend that gained momentum after the September 11 attacks in 2001, where states increasingly prioritize their own strategic interests at the expense of humanitarian concerns. Given Sweden’s long tradition of providing substantial foreign aid rooted in humanitarian principles, the country represents a least likely case, which makes it a particularly relevant subject for analysis. The study applies a qualitative motive analysis to all five foreign aid policy strategy documents presented by Swedish governments during the 2000s. The documents were analyzed using a framework informed by previous research and the theories of liberalism, neorealism, and soft power. The findings indicate that there has been a shift in the leading motive from humanitarian principles to strategic interests during the period. Two additional conclusions can also be drawn: the shift occurred later than in other Western countries, but once it began, it progressed more rapidly. The change was not gradual but rather abrupt, becoming clearly visible in the 2023 strategy document. Possible explanations for these developments include Sweden’s strong humanitarian legacy, which may have required a more radical change in direction, and the war in Ukraine, which profoundly transformed Sweden’s security policy context. The results suggest that even foreign aid policies historically grounded in humanitarian principles can be swiftly redirected in response to geopolitical developments.