Written by:
Sofia Linna
Supervised by: Elise Alsteens & Kevin Whitehead
Edited by:
Sarah Khossossi
This Research Report is part of a two-paper series focusing on Sweden’s psychological defence and how it can complement the EU’s efforts in countering foreign information influence campaigns. In broad terms, psychological defence refers to the resilience to foreign propaganda. Sweden developed a psychological defence strategy during the Cold War and established the Psychological Defence Agency in 2022 in charge of identifying, analysing, and countering foreign malign information influences. This paper introduces multiple concepts and strategies along with specific activities conducted by the agency to demonstrate the relevance of a strong psychological defence in a world characterised by emerging hybrid threats such as information influence campaigns. The combination of resilience and deterrence activities along with a strong support for fundamental rights, demonstrates that psychological defence activities do not have to be conducted at the expense of democratic rights such as freedom of expression.
