The Evolution of ‘the Russian’ in Swedish Defense Discourse : Crimea’s impact on the Russian Frame and threat perception within Swedish politics

Sammanfattning: There are several things which can influence a nations policy both from within a nation and without. This Thesis aimed to understand the relationship between international incidents and the national rhetoric and policy of a nation. To this end the thesis made use of a comparative case study around the case of the annexation of Crimea and its impact on Swedish defence policy and rhetoric. Making use of two theories to structure the analysis that of Framing and Securitisation. The thesis selected and made use of public addresses performed by the Swedish Prime Minsters, Foreign Minsters, Defence Ministers and policy documents posted from the years 2010 to 2018. This thesis found that while the frame of the Russian state existed before 2014, it became much more severe within the speeches and statements from Swedish politicians following the event moving from being a passive threat to Sweden to an actively growing threat which needed to be addressed. The solutions which are proposed during the period range from increased cooperation with nations around Sweden to more extreme solutions such as an increased war readiness and a permanent garrison which is stationed on the Gotland Island in response to a suggested Russian threat.