Articles by Oscar Larsson

October 19, 2026

The language of resilience: soft governance under NATO's Article 3

Oscar Larsson

NATO’s Article 3 requires members 'to maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack.' This includes psychological resistance and the involvement of civil resources and civil actors. Oscar Larsson analyses NATO's current discourse, and traces its evolution, to reveal the shift in vocabulary from civil defence to resilience

Sweden stands out for its soft approach to the pandemic – but the jury is still out on whether it will work

Oscar Larsson

Unlike most other countries, Sweden adopted a ‘soft’ approach to managing the Coronavirus pandemic, flying in the face of ‘securitisation theory’. Oscar Larsson considers whether its approach will succeed

Oscar Larsson

Senior Lecturer in Political Science, Swedish Defence University

Oscar's work critically analyses the intersection of public policy, network governance, and national security architectures.

His previous publications include a genealogical study on the blurring boundaries of civil and war preparedness in Security Dialogue, as well as a comprehensive analysis of constitutional security management and voluntary compliance during Sweden's pandemic response in the European Journal of International Security.

ORCiD

NATO’s Approach to the Civil Dimensions of War: From Defense to Resilience
Palgrave Macmillan, 2026

Oscar's new open-access book examines the historical trajectory of Article 3 and civil preparedness within the alliance.

The Loop

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Articles by Oscar Larsson

The language of resilience: soft governance under NATO's Article 3

Sweden stands out for its soft approach to the pandemic – but the jury is still out on whether it will work

The Loop

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