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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Martin Gelin

In Sweden, we’ve been told to prepare for war. But will 21st-century citizens still rally for the common good?

A jogger in Stockholm, Sweden, 2 January 2024
A jogger in Stockholm, Sweden, 2 January 2024. Photograph: Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency/AFP/Getty Images

Swedes are generally not known to panic or overreact. But many of us are feeling a little shaken after a booklet with a soldier in camouflage holding a machine gun, with a fighter jet tearing through the sky in the background, landed on our door mats recently.

The government booklet, titled “In case of crisis or war”, was sent to every Swedish household as the threat of attack from Russia escalates. It signals the beginning of a new era in our country, with a bleak message about threats from war, natural disasters and pandemics.

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