At the Sweden Security & Competitiveness Summit 2026, hosted by the Center for Security and Resilience at SSE together with McKinsey, leaders from business, government, and the military gathered to discuss how innovation, education, and industrial capacity are becoming central to Sweden's deterrence strategy in a changing geopolitical landscape.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is already affecting Sweden. Around 2,000 ships are currently waiting in the Persian Gulf, delaying deliveries of oil, fertilizer, medicines, and industrial components. For Swedish households and companies, the effects are visible in rising energy costs, supply uncertainty, and higher prices.

Two of the Nordic region's leading business schools, the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) and the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), have joined forces to launch a pioneering collaboration on security and resilience.

The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) welcomes Professor Fredrik Logevall as Visiting Professor, affiliated with the Center for Statecraft and Strategic Communication. The appointment is made possible through SSE's engagement in the Ax:son Johnson Institute for Statecraft and Diplomacy (AJI).

Sanctions are tightening the pressure on Russia’s war economy, even if official figures still suggest resilience. At a recent seminar hosted by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), Torbjörn Becker, Director of the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE), argued that the real test is not whether sanctions end the war overnight, but how much they weaken the Kremlin’s ability to finance it.

March has been an active and inspiring month for CIVICA at SSE, marked by international collaboration, student engagement, and new opportunities.

Paid traineeships, policy jobs and international career paths were in focus when EU recruitment coordinator Asia Riazantceva visited SSE. Students received practical advice on how to apply for EU roles - and how to start preparing already during their studies.

Interest in careers within the European Union is growing, yet Swedish graduates remain underrepresented in EU institutions. To help bridge that gap, Therese Hartman Liungman and Lovisa Areskoug Eriksson, both second-year students in the Bachelor in Business & Economics program, work as EU career student ambassadors.

Rising tensions between the US and China are changing how companies design global supply chains in strategic industries such as semiconductors and rare earths. New research shows firms are no longer just reacting to trade rules – they are proactively redesigning supply chains to reduce political risk and secure access to critical technologies.

Uyen Vu has successfully defended her PhD dissertation at the Stockholm School of Economics. Her research sheds new light on how digitally driven small and medium-sized enterprises can succeed internationally by balancing efficiency with innovation in their marketing practices.