FOI published “Strategic Outlook 2010: Security policy night orienteering?” in the run-up to Almedalen Week. The paper contains fourteen short thematic and geographical contributions intended to give decision makers a better basis on which to bring themselves up to date in the changing political and security terrain.

“With the publishing of Strategic Outlook – ‘STRUT’, our aim is to contribute to the strategic discussion in Sweden and to convey a picture of the global challenges that Sweden’s government must come to terms with,” says Madelene Lindström, project manager for STRUT and security policy analyst at FOI. 

This year’s edition, “Security political night briefing?”, is a further development of last year’s well-received and forward-looking analysis. In an easily accessible way it touches on both well known and less well known challenges in the area of security policy.

As Madelene Lindström puts it, the questions that decision makers have to ask themselves are many and complicated. In many ways it is like orienteering at night: the map seems to be out of date, the available aids do not function properly and the terrain has changed.

The study highlights far-reaching changes of strategic significance, for example the global economic crisis, climate change and challenges posed by non-state actors. Attention is also drawn to the fact that existing multilateral organisations do not always function in an optimal way. 

“The EU is one of Sweden’s most important instruments of security policy and collaboration in that forum remains on the back burner. The larger states within the EU do not have the capacity to drive this collaboration forward. Germany has been hit hard by the economic crisis, in the United Kingdom we have seen the election of government more critical of the EU while France’s reintegration with NATO’s military structure ties up personnel and resources in other areas,” says Madelene Lindström.  

Besides the EU, the study touches on NATO, the United States, Russia, China, changes in areas adjacent to Sweden’s northern borders, peace support operations, challenges in the wake of the economic crisis and cyber warfare.
“The STRUT report highlights another side of FOI and it illustrates a different way of bringing our research results to a wider audience. It’s easily accessible format is one in which we believe strongly,” concludes Madelene Lindström.

“Strategic Outlook 2010: Security policy night orienteering?” will be presented during Almedalen Week , a security policy forum in which FOI is participating. You can meet some of the contributors to the report at the seminar “När vinnarna möter verkligheten” (“When the winners face reality”) on Wednesday 7 July at the security policy Summer Fair.