Carl Bildt (M) was foreign minister when the artist Lars Vilk’s drawing of a roundabout dog caused strong protests in the Muslim world.
– This is worse. And has the potential to get even worse, he says of today’s crisis.
In 2007, the Reinfeldt government found itself in a similar situation to the one the Kristersson government is now in the middle of. But Carl Bildt assesses that today’s crisis is worse.
– Burning the Koran is more symbolic and much more emotional than Lars Vilk’s drawing was, says Bildt to TT.
In addition, the situation can escalate, there is a risk that there will be more Koran burnings, which will inflame the moods even more.
– Then I think we could end up in a purely explosive situation, says Bildt.
– It is a quite significant security threat to Swedish interests.
Lit the spark
What ignited the spark in 2007 was a drawing by the artist Lars Vilks that was published in Nerikes Allehanda (NA). It depicted Muhammad as a patrol dog and led to strong reactions, including a reward for people who would murder Vilks and NA’s editor-in-chief.
In Pakistan, the Swedish flag and a doll representing Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt were burned. Swedes were advised against traveling to several countries in the Middle East.
In this situation, the Reinfeldt government tried to cool down the situation.
– It was Fredrik more than me who managed the whole thing. He had a fairly intense engagement with, above all, the ambassadors of the various Muslim countries in Stockholm, and other dialogues as well to try to dampen the whole thing, says Bildt.
Reinfeldt also gave a speech in the mosque in Stockholm, addressed to Muslims in Sweden, Bildt remembers.
Exactly what is going on behind the scenes today is difficult to know, but even the current government is trying to cool down the situation, sources told TT. They want to avoid escalating the situation so that Swedes and Swedish interests abroad end up in danger. But it is also about security in Sweden.
This is the reason why Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) and Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M) have been restrained with statements after the latest Koran burning.
Acute security risks
A couple of years before the roundabout dog, the Danish newspaper Jyllandsposten had published cartoons of Muhammad, which led to violent protests against Denmark. The Swedish government had learned from “the mistakes of the Danes” as Bildt puts it, that is, the Swedes focused more on dialogue.
But there was also a lot of focus on the security situation, above all for the staff at Swedish embassies.
– From the Foreign Ministry’s perspective, it is an urgent security situation to deal with, which certainly also worries the current government quite considerably, says Bildt.
If it becomes unsustainable, personnel may have to be taken home from embassies or protection may be strengthened.
– The dilemma is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can take such measures when it comes to embassies, but we have virtually no opportunity to protect other Swedish interests in the world, says Bildt.
Difficult to control
He also states that for politicians and diplomats, it is much more difficult to handle crises that are about religion than to resolve conflicts on substantive issues.
– Diplomacy and foreign policy are about relations between states, here it is above all about the fact that there are groups – fundamentalist, terrorist or very religiously convinced – who see this as so challenging that they suddenly want to take matters into their own hands, says Bildt.
– It is outside the traditional state-to-state diplomacy and is therefore much more difficult.