This is how Margot Wallström’s theories stand in the way of Sweden in NATO.

It’s over A little dark, but the truth is that it was the biggest foreign policy failure of modern times. Because there is no other way to describe a failed NATO application. Finland is now a member, but Sweden is not. The idea was that two brothers would join hands.

In the short term, this certainly does not pose a major security risk. In all the glory of NATO’s Article V, we have bilateral security guarantees from the United States and Great Britain and France.

And most importantly, on both sides of the Baltic Sea, Finland became a member as soon as possible.

It’s the bigger picture that worries me the most. Sweden’s freedom of action is clearly restricted. We are not naturally welcome in the society we want to join.

Arguably, those who say no are at fault. We have met Turkey’s demands on us and now it is their turn to keep their end of the deal. No Koran burning allowed in Ankara and Stockholm. Erdoğan’s delay in using Sweden as a domestic political bat shows that he is unreliable.

Likewise, you can Politicians in Hungary say they are being unfair when they believe that Sweden continues to undermine relations between the countries. The Hungarian government is becoming increasingly authoritarian, and Swedish politicians can criticize it and work through the EU. This conflict has nothing to do with our common security interests belonging to the same security alliance.

All of these are certainly true. We are not alone in thinking that Turkey and Hungary are being unnecessarily trolled or that they deserve criticism for undermining human rights. But foreign policy is about relationships. He who destroys them will be alone.

The Social Democrats bear the greatest responsibility for the deterioration of Sweden’s capacity for international cooperation. In 2014, Margot Wallström coined the term “feminist foreign policy,” and during her eight-year government, diplomats around the world received instructions to prioritize protecting the rights of women and minorities.

Of course it is It is not wrong to criticize other countries or work for democracy and human rights. But since the world is made up of governments that do not share our views on these matters, it must be done with tact and tone. Sweden’s interests will not benefit from the approach of a lecherous brother-in-law.

S, V, MP but also C, L and sometimes M like to bash other countries to win domestic political points. Hungary is one example, America under Donald Trump is another. On the other side of the Atlantic, there are fears that Swedish-American relations could be severely damaged if Trump is re-elected. An activist foreign policy from the Swedish side is seen as a danger – to ourselves, as it risks worsening relations with our most powerful ally.

Let the failed NATO process be a wake-up call and the end of Margot Wallström’s ideological foreign policy.

read more: Social Democrats – The party that never apologizes and never makes mistakes

read more: Humility should characterize Swedish NATO accession

Kajsa Tovstad is a physician and guest columnist on the editorial page of Göteborgs-Boston.