Event Date: October 8, 2025 - 12:00pm to 1:30pm
Location: FSS 4006, 120 University Private, University of Ottawa

Presented by CIPS

In the recent decade, concepts such as ‘comprehensive’ or ‘total’ defence have returned in the Nordic and Baltic regions. Undoubtedly, the re-emergence of these whole-of-society approaches to national defence have been triggered by ‘exogenous shocks’ such as the Russian annexation of Crimea and the subsequent invasion of Ukraine. In essence, total defence concepts are contingent on the active engagement of myriad actors from all sectors and levels of society. Drawing on research on the case of Sweden, the talk focuses on threat perceptions and framings by state institutions and representatives, and in particular the emergence of the ‘war frame’ in Swedish political rhetoric; a shift culminating with the country’s application for NATO membership in 2022. Further, it probes issues of audience acceptance as well as the logic of total defence policy and organising in Sweden and beyond, particularly through concepts such as securitization and marketization.

Speaker:

Joakim Berndtsson is a full professor at the School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and research fellow at the Swedish Centre for Studies of Armed Forces and Society (CSMS). He is currently a guest professor with the Canadian Defence and Security Network (CDSN-RCDS) at Carleton University. Berndtsson’s research interests include Swedish and Nordic total defence planning and organising, civilian-military collaboration, and public opinion on Swedish defence and security policy.

Chair:

Alexandra Gheciu is a Professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) and the Director of CIPS.