Sweden’s Ambassador Urban Ahlin, Perfect for the Job
By • January 22, 2024 0 958
Ambassador Urban Ahlin presented his credentials to President Joe Biden in August 2023. I met with Ahlin in his spectacular Georgetown office at the House of Sweden that overlooks the Potomac River. When I asked him how he likes living and working in Georgetown, he responded with a huge smile and said he absolutely loves it.
“It’s so green, so many beautiful houses,” Ahlin said. “It’s wonderful to have an embassy right on the river. I think we have one of the best locations in Washington.”
He now lives right above the embassy but misses, understandably, the large grounds of the old residence on Nebraska Avenue, which was sold to a developer, owing in part to the enormous cost of a much-needed renovation. He is accompanied by his wife, Jenni Ahlin, who has published two books for children with a third on the way.
The ambassador is no stranger to the United States, nor to Georgetown for that matter. He used to wander up and down the streets here in his early twenties. As a a young politician, he was invited by the American Embassy in Stockholm to participate in the International Visitor Program of the U.S. State Department, allowing him to travel extensively throughout America. He also participated in a Young Leaders Program with both Americans and Europeans to travel around the U.S. and Europe. It was organized by the Council on Foreign Relations under the leadership of Paula Dobriansky. He and his wife have been coming to the States for years and have a house in Florida.
Throughout his professional life, Ambassador Ahlin has served both as a politician and as a diplomat. When asked which he preferred, he made it clear that it was more fun to be a politician. “No question. You are in the middle of everything, 24/7. See the news on TV, and you have known it for weeks. As a diplomat, you are often behind.”
There is no doubt that Ahlin was energized by being elected to Parliament. Reelected six times it was clear his constituents loved him as well. However, when he became Speaker of Parliament, he had to relinquish his party ties as — contrary to that of the United States — the Speaker in Sweden must be politically neutral. He found that this was good training to become a diplomat.
Ambassador Ahlin has always felt that Washington, D.C., was at the heart of the global political scene. As a Social Democrat appointed by a conservative government, some people thought that he was sent abroad to be out of the way. He knew, however, that the Foreign Ministry was aware of his love for politics, and that in this respect felt that they were sending him home. He sees Washington as an open and easy place to debate politics.
Ahlin was a member of the East-West Institute which serves as a bridge between the United States and Eastern Europe, mainly Russia, and focuses on decreasing the risk of nuclear terrorism. As Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in Sweden, he worked closely with both Senators Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar. They traveled together to Ukraine with the goal of stopping the proliferation of nuclear material.
Asked about his main goal he hoped to accomplish during his tenure as Ambassador, Ahlin said it is to deepen relations with the U.S. Not surprisingly he mentioned that Sweden’s membership in NATO was his highest priority. He is working to show that Sweden would be a trustworthy ally.
On Dec. 5, the Swedish Minister of Defense signed a defense agreement with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to allow American access to military bases in Sweden. Several days later, the Finnish government signed a similar agreement. Ahlin believes that Turkey won’t block Sweden’s membership in NATO but at the moment is partly caught up in a U.S.-Turkey deal to sell F-16s.
During his career, Ahlin has also served as a mediator. He worked together with Bill Richardson in trying to work out problems with the Rohingya in Myanmar. Convinced of the necessity for the European Union to work together with the rest of the world, he founded the European Council of Foreign Relations He is also a member of the Aspen Institute and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
Ambassador Ahlin’s second goal is making sure Americans understand how important it is to support Ukraine. He stressed that if the U.S. shows weakness, the U.S. will be tested.
Concerning the current chaos in the Middle East, he said that Sweden feels that Israel has a right and a duty to defend itself in accordance with international law.
As our interview came to a close, I left feeling that the ambassador’s wide ranging experience, coupled with his infectious personality, will make for a very successful posting in Washington.
