11 November 2025 from 6pm to 8pm GMT at 16 Taviton Street, London
A SSEES Study of Central Europe seminar with Anders Blomqvist, Dalarna University
This research project examines how Sweden, as a neutral state committed to international law and minority protection, responded to the evolving Transylvanian Question from the post–World War I settlement through the late communist period in Romania. While officially accepting the post-Trianon territorial status quo and the principle of territorial integrity, Swedish governments consistently regarded minority protection and autonomy as legitimate instruments to prevent conflict and safeguard human rights. Drawing on diplomatic records, press coverage, and international debates, the research traces Sweden’s position from its early support for the League of Nations’ stability framework to its explicit human rights–based criticism of Ceaușescu’s policies in the 1980s. Sweden’s stance was shaped not only by its neutrality but also by its own historical experience with an ethnic minority abroad — the Swedish-speaking population in Finland. By analysing these continuities, the research illuminates how neutrality, human rights discourse, and respect for borders intersected in Swedish responses to ethnic and territorial conflicts in Central and Eastern Europe.
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