Sweden will send out instructions to its 4.8 Million citizens next week on how to cope with an outbreak of war. The 20-page brochure titled „If Crisis or War Comes“ gives advice on getting clean water, spotting propaganda and finding a bomb shelter, in the first public awareness campaign of its kind since the days of the Cold War. Sweden has not been at war with anyone for more than 200 years, not since its war with Norway in 1814. It was officially neutral during World War Two. But since Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in March, 2014 Sweden and other countries in the region have been on high alert. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency want the citizens be prepared for the worst-case: „Peace, freedom and democracy are values that we must protect and reinforce on a daily basis. When we are under threat, our willingness to help each other is one of our most important assets. If you are prepared, you are contributing to improving the ability of the country as a whole to cope with a major strain.“
Source:
The Simpsons, Homer goes to Prep School by Matt Groening, 07.10.2013
spiegel.de, aar/Reuters, 22.05.2018
reuters.com, Daniel Dickson, 21.05.2018
Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, If Crisis or war comes, May 2018