Friends in War: Sweden between Solidarity and Self-help, 1939-1945

Main author: Berenskoetter, Felix
Other authors: Pashakhanlou, Arash Heydarian
Format: Journal Article           
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id eprints-32487
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description This article scrutinizes the assumption that friends support each other in times of war. Picking up the notion that solidarity, or ‘other-help’, is a key feature of friendship between states, the article explores how states behave when a friend is attacked by an overwhelming enemy. It directs attention to the trade-off between solidarity and self-help governments face in such a situation and makes the novel argument that the decision about whether and how to support the friend is significantly influenced by assessments of the distribution of material capabilities and the relationship the state has with the aggressor. This proposition is supported empirically in an examination of Sweden’s response to its Nordic friends’ need for help during the Second World War – to Finland during the 1939-1940 ‘Winter War’ with the Soviet Union, and to Norway following the invasion of Germany from 1940 to 1945.
format Journal Article
author Berenskoetter, Felix
author_facet Berenskoetter, Felix
Pashakhanlou, Arash Heydarian
authorStr Berenskoetter, Felix
author_letter Berenskoetter, Felix
author2 Pashakhanlou, Arash Heydarian
author2Str Pashakhanlou, Arash Heydarian
title Friends in War: Sweden between Solidarity and Self-help, 1939-1945
publisher Sage
publishDate 2020
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/32487/