The makings of a moral superpower: Swedish good international citizenship as middle power nation brand

The makings of a moral superpower: Swedish good international citizenship as middle power nation brand

Sweden has consistently performed positively in global
assessments of its nation brand and its contributions to global order. A testament to a century of agile image construction, Sweden’s ‘moral superpower’ branding has evolved in recent decades to encompass ideals of the ‘good international citizen’ that continue to elevate its status amongst middle powers. Despite Sweden’s moral record being imperfect, this article examines the reasons and methods behind Sweden’s overwhelming successes in political nation branding, asking whether these strategies are still viable into the mid-twenty-first century. The article frames Sweden’s moral nation brand through the concept of the good international citizen, which is identified as an integral component of effective middle power strategy in the contemporary international system. As recent geopolitical events have forced Sweden to reconsider its foreign policy objectives and align with more realist, hard power agendas, it argues that of leaning into the good international citizen as normative/behavioural nation branding is required to bridge the gap between Swedish imagery and reality.