Abstract
Before the end of the Cold War, Sweden did not to engage in international relations, and especially in Middle East, which is often described as a burning area of international relations. Even though Sweden's foreign policy in the Middle East can appear less active than in other countries, a shift occurred in the Swedish involvement in this region, leading to the abandonment of its neutral position. The aim of this paper is, by using descriptions and analysis of Sweden's foreign policy, to show how the end of the Cold War and Sweden's membership in the European Union affected the Swedish foreign policy. The reason for pointing out the fall of the USSR and Sweden's membership to the European Union is that both events created dramatic changes in different areas, and especially regarding international relations. These two aspects are probably not enough to be able to understand how and why Sweden evolves in this area, but they are important enough to be concentrated on, as both of them are still affecting Swedish politics.
