Georgy Arbatov, Director Emeritus at the Institute of U.S.A. and Canada in Moscow, visited Stockholm recently in order to participate in a seminar on nuclear disarmament and related issues. He is well-acquainted with both the city and the subject, having served on the so-called Palme Commission which played an important role in the disarmament process that led to the end of the Cold War.

One of Dr. Arbatov’s previous visits to Stockholm was in 1986, to attend the funeral of Olof Palme. ”We became close friends during our work with the commission,” he relates. ”I miss Olof very much. His death was mourned throughout the Soviet Union.”

It was an experience shared by many. Probably no other leader of a small nation has left such a deep impression around the world, as partially reflected in the great number and variety of public facilities that bear the name of Olof Palme-- a children’s hospital in Latin America, an elementary school in the middle of the West Sahara, a city park in Central Asia, etc., etc.

It has been said that, when Palme spoke in the United Nations, the entire organization came to a standstill: So many of the staff were listening to the Swedish prime minister that there was no point in trying to get any work done.

But that voice was silenced on the eve of March, 1986. Since then, much has changed in both Sweden and the world, and the legacy of Olof Palme has been largely neglected— perhaps more so in his homeland than anywhere else. For that reason, alone, it is worth an effort to revive that legacy and pass it on to future generations.

It also provides a useful index by which to assess the current state of things. The principles so clearly articulated by Palme are at least as relevant today as they were fifteen years ago, and his analyses of societal issues have shown themselves to be remarkably accurate. By comparing the rejected legacy of Olof Palme with the policies of his successors, it should be possible to learn something useful about both.

Accordingly, Nordic News Network is planning a series of articles and related materials on the life and times of Olof Palme, to be published on this web site during the months ahead. Among the issues to be taken up are the following:

Enemy of class and empire
An account of how the frail offspring of a wealthy conservative family grew up to become the dynamic leader of Sweden's labour movement-- and the object of intense hatred from reactionary forces at home and abroad.

Foreign policy
It was in this area, of course, that Palme made his most profound impression and his worst enemies. Key issues:
       - Sweden's foreign policy tradition
       - Vietnam War
       - Disarmament
       - Third World & colonialism
       - The American Empire.

Socio-economic policy
Palme was an eloquent champion of the general welfare state, which experienced its greatest expansion during his lifetime. Key issues:
       - The logic and values of general welfare
       - Public vs. private sector
       - Gender equality & the family
       - Economic democracy.

Criticism & hate
Olof Palme was eminently human, and therefore fallible-- although it is significant that the most persistent criticisms directed at him have more to do with his personal style than with his politics. During much of his career, he was the object of an organized hate campaign. Key issues:
       - Economic policy
       - Nuclear power
       - Bofors scandal
       - Personality
       - Palmephobia
       - Systematic harassment.

Assassination and aftermath
Former agents of the C.I.A. have noted a familiar pattern in the assassination of Palme and the inexplicable confusion which followed. The bungled investigation, now in its 15th year, remains in the hands of police who refuse to seriously consider the numerous indications that some of their colleagues may have been involved in the murder, along with members of the intelligence and military services. A solution seems highly unlikely.
A wasted legacy
Even Olof Palme would have had a hard time following Olof Palme, so exceptional was the fit between his politics and the particular circumstances of his time. Still, the question remains: Why have his successors so thoroughly rejected the wisdom he left behind, and what kind of legacy are they likely to leave, instead? Key issues:
      - Neo-liberalism
      - Pax Americana.

Remembering Olof
Everyone, everywhere is welcome to contribute to this section with personal accounts of how Olof Palme affected their lives, either through direct encounters, or indirectly via mass media, school studies, the reminiscences of others, etc. Photos and illustrations are also very welcome. Send all information to NNN's e-mail address.


This is the basic outline of the series on Olof Palme which is expected to continue throughout 2000 and much of 2001. To ensure notification of future items in the series, join NNN’s e-mail list.

-- 2 November 2000