"For a foreigner, Sweden is an 'interesting' place. The myth or brand of Sweden is very different from the reality. There's a veneer of tolerance and liberalism, overlaying a deeply conservative, puritanical cultural foundation."
Very well said... I have been living in Sweden for more than 20 years and was initially perplexed by the myth of Swedish liberalism. But when I came to my own conclusions - very much inline with what you have described - everything began to make sense.
Another thing worth remembering is the hypocrisy when comparing the values it supposedly espouses domestically versus what we see in its foreign policy.
Had to laugh when i read this from SAAB: Since Saab was started, we have strived to keep society and people safe. It is a basic human need to feel safe and, as we see it, a human right. Through systems and solutions that increase security, we can make this possible. We share values which are inherited from generation to generation and reflect the company’s soul.