Security through European integration or flexible autonomy: Ambivalence in Sweden’s position on the Eastern Partnership?

This article explores Sweden’s multiple roles in foreign policy in relation to its actions as an EU member state, seeking also to contribute to the understanding of small-state roles and behaviour at the dawn of a new age of uncertainty in Europe. Based on analytical tools derived from role theory within foreign policy analysis, as well as European integration theory, the article presents an analytical framework according to which the outcome in terms of security-seeking roles can be described as either security through integration or security through autonomy. This framework is then employed in an empirical analysis of the Swedish position on the Eastern Partnership. The article concludes that during 2008–2017, Sweden has balanced its strategies of both EU integration and autonomy from the EU in pursuit of security cooperation on a broad front.