Northern Exposure
IMAGO/TT
In northern Sweden, the rapid expansion of green industries is transforming the region—but at what cost? As billions are invested in new mines, battery factories, and wind farms—investments are expected to reach 1,400 billion SEK (€120 billion) by 2040—local communities are caught between promises of economic prosperity and the pressures of environmental and social change. Driving this boom is the global race for minerals essential to the energy transition—rare earth metals, lithium, and other critical resources that ...
read more "Sweden’s “Green Transition”: Opportunities and Challenges"
read more "Sweden’s “Green Transition”: Opportunities and Challenges"
IMAGO/Ritzau Scanpix
Tuesday’s election to the Inatsisartut – the parliament of Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat) – resulted in resounding defeat for the country’s left wing government parties and a landslide victory for liberal party Demokraatit. At the time of writing, many questions remain unanswered about who will form government and how the result will affect Greenland’s path to independence.
Enjoying a swing of over 21 percent, Demokraatit obtained 29.9 percent of all votes cast – more than three times their result in Greenland’s...
read more "Greenland: Parliamentary elections deal blow to left wing government"
read more "Greenland: Parliamentary elections deal blow to left wing government"
IMAGO/Ritzau Scanpix
Caught between a Danish colonial past and threats from Donald Trump’s US, Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat) will hold elections to its parliament, the Inatsisartut, today, on March 11. Greenland’s political status within the Kingdom of Denmark is difficult to explain, especially to those who are not from Denmark or its Northern Atlantic territories. Yet, understanding this dynamic is crucial to grasping what is at stake in Greenland’s elections.
“Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark,” states Wikipedia—a ...
read more "Greenland: “It’s the white man—send him home!”"
read more "Greenland: “It’s the white man—send him home!”"
imago images/Ritzau Scanpix
The Danish state’s distinction between Danes, Western immigrants and their descendants as opposed to non-Western immigrants and their descendants isn’t a neutral classification—it’s a strategic tool used to justify discrimination.
One of the most powerful justifications for this is the narrative of "rescuing" minority women—especially Muslim women—from so-called negative social control. Clearly, this is not really about empowerment; rather, it is a way to sustain exclusion and marginalisation. By framing ...
read more "”Rescuing” Muslim Women: A Justification for Discrimination"
read more "”Rescuing” Muslim Women: A Justification for Discrimination"
IMAGO/TT
In Sweden, there is an ongoing struggle over working conditions and hours, with women-dominated trade unions at the forefront. History shows that change is possible when the labour and women’s movements unite, but despite strikes and demands for shorter working hours, progress has been modest. With increasing economic inequality and a welfare sector on the brink of collapse, Sweden now faces a critical choice: further cuts or a fairer redistribution of time and resources. Will working-class men stand alongside women, or continue to uphold a system where ...
read more "Women’s Battle for Time in Sweden"
read more "Women’s Battle for Time in Sweden"
Flicker / The Left
Li Andersson of the Finnish Left Alliance on the challenges posed by Russia’s war in Ukraine and Trump’s return
The Russian invasion of Ukraine impacted not only the states of Eastern Europe, but also the Scandinavian countries to a particular extent. This applies first and foremost to Finland, which had previously belonged to the Russian Empire and, after gaining its independence at the end of 1917, was attacked by the Soviet Union in 1939 as part of the so-called Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Today, the country shares a border of more than 1,300 ...
read more "“Europe Needs to Stand on Its Own Feet”"
read more "“Europe Needs to Stand on Its Own Feet”"
IMAGO/Seeliger
Note: This article uses Icelandic naming conventions. Most persons referenced do not have family names and are therefore primarily referred to by their given name.
On Saturday 30 November, Icelanders went to the polls to elect a new Althing (parliament). The second election to be held this year—following June’s presidential election—the vote came ten months earlier than expected: on Sunday 13 October, after months of significant tensions within the governing coalition, Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson ...
read more "Scratching the Seven-Year Itch: Iceland votes to change government"
read more "Scratching the Seven-Year Itch: Iceland votes to change government"
Kristin Svorte, Dagbladet
“Pay up, or humanity will pay the price”. With the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House in January, that key message from UN General Secretary António Guterres was seen as even more urgent at this year’s Climate Summit, which ended in dismay at wealthy nations’ inability to commit sufficient funds to repay their climate debt. Oil-rich Norway, however, showed once again that it will gladly pay more than most countries to keep up appearances as a ‘climate leader.’ But will it ever bring a true gift to humanity, one that does ...
read more "Bad Santa? How Norway can provide real climate jobs"
read more "Bad Santa? How Norway can provide real climate jobs"
John Nielsen
Despite being one of the first countries to sign the UN Refugee Convention, Denmark has also been a frequent first-mover on harsh immigration policies in Europe. An increasing number of political parties – not all of them right-wing or nationalist – across Europe point to the “Danish model” as an example of successful migration and asylum policy. Even Sweden – once seen as a more humane counterpoint – is now copying Danish policies in detail. In reality, the “Danish model” would not work if copied by other ...
read more "Why Europe should avoid modelling its migration policy on Denmark"
read more "Why Europe should avoid modelling its migration policy on Denmark"
IMAGO/TT
After winning over 11 percent of the vote, and two mandates, in June’s European Parliament elections, the Swedish Left Party Vänsterpartiet is celebrating its best election results in twenty years. The historic result brought the party a step closer to fulfilling large parts of its main strategy, something it has been working towards for more than a decade. How this outcome is to be interpreted – whether as a direct result of this strategy, or a widening of it – is now up for debate.
The European election also took place mere...
read more "Sweden’s Left Party celebrates its biggest win in 20 year"
read more "Sweden’s Left Party celebrates its biggest win in 20 year"