Stockholm Free World Forum
Stockholm Free World Forum (Swedish: Frivärld) is a security and foreign policy think tank in Stockholm, Sweden.
| Formation | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Mats Johansson |
| Type | Think tank |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden |
Chairman | Gunnar Hökmark |
Director | Anna Rennéus Guthrie |
| Website | https://frivarld.se/en/ |
The organization is politically independent and engages in analysis and opinion formation within its four thematic areas: security policy, international legal order, free trade, and European cooperation. Its stated purpose is to "stimulate and influence the discussion about which ideas and perspectives should guide Swedish foreign and security policy."[1] Additionally, it operates the online magazine and podcast Säkerhetsrådet (the Security Council) and the research institute Center for Influence and Disinformation Analysis (CIDA).
The newspaper Arbetsvärlden has consistently ranked Stockholm Free World Forum among the top five most influential Swedish think tanks. In the 2023 ranking, Stockholm Free World Forum placed third.
History
[edit]Stockholm Free World Forum was established by the former member of the Swedish parliament Mats Johansson with funding from Stiftelsen Fritt Näringsliv. Johansson was the think tank's chairman until his passing in 2017.[2] His successor is Gunnar Hökmark.
Activities
[edit]Stockholm Free World Forum publishes approximately twenty reports and books annually. Some of these are authored by external writers and researchers, including Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Andrius Kubilius, Fredrik Erixon, Sten Tolgfors, and Stefan Forss. The think tank has also featured articles and books by senior Swedish dignitaries, including former foreign minister Ann Linde, current prime minister Ulf Kristersson, and current defence minister Pål Jonson. Additionally, the organization hosts seminars and roundtable discussions - both independently and in collaboration with other think tanks, research institutes, and embassies.
The organization's operations are financed through project grants from government agencies and companies, as well as through a base grant from Stiftelsen Fritt Näringsliv.
Central persons
[edit]Fellows
[edit]Stockholm Free World Forum has several affiliated researchers and analysts. In 2024, these include:
- Anders Åslund, adjunct professor at Georgetown University.
- Patrik Oksanen, journalist och ledamot i Kungliga Krigsvetenskapsakademien[2]
- Minna Ålander, researcher at Finnish Institute of International Affairs and non-resident fellow at CEPA, Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C.
- Fredrik Johansson, communications advisor and columnist for Svenska Dagbladet.
- Katarina Tracz, analyst, moderator, and advisor in strategic communication.
- Stefan Fölster, director of the think tank Better Future Economics.
- Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein, lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Formerly Associated with the Think Tank
[edit]- Mats Johansson (1951-2017), founder
- Oscar Jonsson, director from 2018 to 2019 and researcher at the Swedish Defence University
- Stefan Olsson, director from 2012 to 2014 and doctor in political science from Uppsala University
- Katarina Tracz, director from 2014 to 2023
- Diana Janse, senior fellow from 2021 to 2023 and former Swedish ambassador to Mali, Georgia, and Lebanon/Syria
- Johanne Hildebrandt, former member of the advisory board (2012) and war correspondent
- Pär Nyrén, former senior fellow and analyst at the Swedish National China Centre
Utrikesakademin (the Foreign Affairs Academy)
[edit]Since 2015, Stockholm Free World Forum has hosted Utrikesakademin (the Foreign Affairs Academy), a year-long advanced training program consisting of a series of lecture days and study visits. The purpose of Utrikesakademin is to provide young emerging leaders, experts, and decision-makers in the fields of foreign and security policy with qualified education and networking opportunities.
In memory of Mats Johansson, Stockholm Free World Forum also awards a scholarship for studies or internships within the framework of Utrikesakademin. The scholarship was established to promote the ideas of an open society by encouraging activities in the spirit of Mats Johansson's publicist work.
Säkerhetsrådet (the Security Council)
[edit]In 2020, Stockholm Free World Forum overtook Svenska Dagbladet's defense and foreign policy web publication Säkerhetsrådet (the Security Council). The Security Council is a unique forum in Sweden for qualified discussions on foreign, defense, and security policy. The forum's agenda is broad, encompassing contributions to current debates, dissemination of information, and raising awareness on security and defense-related issues. The editor since 2021 is Patrik Oksanen.
Podcasts
[edit]The podcast Säkerhetsrådet is hosted by Anna Rennéus Guthrie, director of Stockholm Free World Forum, and Patrik Oksanen. In the podcast, they discuss current foreign and security policy issues with experts, opinion leaders, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers.
In February 2024, the special podcast Drakens år (the Year of the Dragon) was launched. The focus of the podcast is China and its influence on Swedish and Western society, politics, and business. Various China experts specializing in foreign and security policy, as well as other researchers and debaters, participate in the podcast.
Controversies
[edit]Conflict with the Chinese Ambassador in 2021
[edit]In 2021, Stockholm Free World Forum published the report Draken som bytte taktik (The Dragon That Changed Tactics), in which authors Patrik Oksanen and Jesper Lehto argue that the Chinese embassy in Sweden has conducted an aggressive and threatening campaign against journalists and opinion leaders who have expressed criticism of the Chinese Communist Party. In a response published on the embassy's website in September 2021, then-ambassador Gui Congyou accused Stockholm Free World Forum and the report authors of defamation, stating that "the world would be a better place without them."
This statement attracted significant attention, and the leaders of the think tanks Arena Idé, Fores, and Timbro jointly demanded in an op-ed in Aftonbladet that the government and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs should require an apology from the ambassador. Later that week, Foreign Minister Ann Linde condemned the embassy's pressure on the think tank, noting that "this is not the first time that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has had to summon the ambassador." On September 23, China announced that it had replaced Gui with its former ambassador to Angola, Cui Aimin, but did not provide a reason for the sudden change.
Notes and references
[edit]- ^ "About us". Frivärld. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ "Mats Johansson 1951-2017", Svenska Dagbladet, hämtad 30 jan 2022.