The Bear and the Mouse That Roared: Soviet Reactions to Public Swedish Criticism — Czechoslovakia and Vietnam

Abstract

Public criticism of the superpowers came to be a prominent feature of Sweden's 'active neutrality' by the late 1960s. This article analyzes the Soviet reactions to Swedish criticism (a) of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and (b) of the US intervention in Vietnam, 1967-75. Soviet responses to Sweden's explicit and harsh condemnation of the invasion of Czechoslovakia were delayed and muted due to the ongoing Swedish election campaign. Yet the 1968 experience appears to have had an indirect impact on the Soviet view of Swedish criticism of US warfare in Vietnam. After 1968 Soviet commentaries on Sweden's Vietnam posture were restrained and ambiguous. A number of conceivable explanations are discussed. First, there were components of the Swedish criticism which were likely to arouse suspicions among Soviet leaders, based on their traditional view of Sweden. Second, the domestic politics behind Sweden's external behavior on the Vietnam issue apparently caused concern in Moscow. And finally, Soviet attitudes to the Vietnam War itself were ambiguous. In conclusion, similarities and differences between Soviet and US reactions to Sweden's public criticism of the superpowers are noted.