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Joachim Berndtsson

Joachim Berndtsson

Professor at the School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg, researching Swedish and Nordic total defence, civil-military collaboration, and security outsourcing.

Sep 23, 2026

24:07
For the audience, how does it work in practice? How do you prepare a population for war?
24:13
Yeah, so it's interesting.
24:16
This was invented in the 1940s, so it has a long history in Sweden.
24:23
It used to be understood as a way for small states to, what is sometimes called, punch above your weight.
24:31
So you activate the whole population and become...
24:36
Less of a target for strong players or opponents, because you have this ability to activate the whole of society, basically.
24:46
And what is interesting now, and looking at the war in Ukraine, what states have understood is that you need a society that will also function even under great or extreme pressure and stress.
28:12
But can you maybe share some surprising examples of what's in

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