The Legacy of Anna Lindh

On September 11th it is 20 years since the murder of Anna Lindh, one of the most popular Swedish politicians whom many believed would be the first woman to become prime minister of Sweden.

By: Elin Berg, Doctoral student in War Studies and Jenny Hedström, Associate Professor and Associate Senior Lecturer in War Studies.

At the Swedish Defence University, Anna Lindh has given name to both the university library as well as the professorship in gender, peace and security. We in the associated research team for gender, peace and security at the Department of war studies and military history therefore want to draw attention to Anna Lindh's legacy on this day.

Anna Lindh's main focus in politics was international cooperation, human rights and environmental issues. She devoted her entire political career to these subjects and served as Sweden's minister for foreign affairs the last years of her life.

She was a strong advocate for peace, international law and for increased cooperation within the framework of the United Nations (UN) as well as the European Union (EU). She worked actively for the EU to pursue a common foreign policy for the purpose of conflict prevention. From the war in Iraq to Palestine and Israel, as well as in disarmament and non-proliferation debates – Anna Lindh never ceased to be a voice for peace.

As minister for foreign affairs, she played an important role in the mediation between the Kosovo Liberation Army and the Serbian military and supported the negotiation of an agreement between conflict parties in Macedonia to prevent civil war.

“The absence of women's rights should be seen as a threat to the development of humanity"

Anna Lindh's relationship with feminism was not self-evident, but a conviction that developed through her international involvement in peace issues and foreign policy. It was based on what she saw and experienced in a number of different contexts and conflicts.

Her former party colleagues have reflected on Anna Lindh's feminist journey: "Only when she felt safe in the EU councils and other international bodies, she said 'Now I dare and will speak about equality. Now I have the authority to do it'”.

In Anna Lindh's footsteps

The research team in gender, peace and security at the Swedish Defence University, led by Professor Annick Wibben with four employees, follows in Anna Lindh's footsteps and pursues research that focuses on questions of war and peace and how these phenomena intertwine with equality, human rights, and democracy and development. Inspired by Anna Lindh's commitment to peace, the team's research aims to illuminate and question dominant ideas about war and security.