Sweden

In this Wednesday, June 29, 2011, photo, Henrik Holgersson puts a shoe on his son.

Founding fatherhood: Part I

Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive this week into parental leave and caregiving in various affluent democracies between 1965 to 2016.

Founding fatherhood: Part I
Photo of a Swedish city at sunset, with lights glowing in windows and reflecting into a fjord

Should you feed child guests dinner? What #Swedengate tells us about food culture and social expectations.

Should you feed child guests dinner? What #Swedengate tells us about food culture and social expectations.
Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson talks during the parliamentary debate on the Swedish application for NATO membership, in Stockholm, Monday, May 16, 2022. 

In historic shift, Sweden will join Finland in requesting NATO membership

In historic shift, Sweden will join Finland in requesting NATO membership
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a damaged city center after Russian air raid in Chernigiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. 

Russia's invasion in Ukraine ‘is far from done,’ retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman says

Russia's invasion in Ukraine ‘is far from done,’ retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman says
The white facade of the Living Lab in Sweden with a light on in the upstairs window.

This ‘living lab’ in Sweden experiments with the future of sustainable cities 

This ‘living lab’ in Sweden experiments with the future of sustainable cities 
Sweden's Minister of Finance Magdalena Andersson gestures, after being elected to party chairman of the Social Democratic Party at the party’s congress in Gothenburg, Sweden

Sweden's first female prime minister quits hours later

Magdalena Andersson resigns hours after assuming the role of prime minister, after suffering a budget defeat in parliament and after her coalition partner, the Greens Party, left the two-party minority government.

Sweden's first female prime minister quits hours later
Swedish musician José González is known for stretching musical boundaries over his 18-year career. 

José González’s 'Local Valley' mixes sounds from West Africa, from the Sahel to Ghanaian highlife

Over his 18-year music career, José González has tapped into sounds from three continents: Brazilian bossa nova, Swedish hardcore punk, and now, West African styles.

José González’s 'Local Valley' mixes sounds from West Africa, from the Sahel to Ghanaian highlife
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley are shown sitting and facing each other.

Top Pentagon leaders in the hot seat over Afghanistan withdrawal

Top of The World: Top Pentagon officials are expected to face tough questions from Congress on Tuesday in their first public testimony since the US completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan last month. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Watch the testimony streaming live here.

Top Pentagon leaders in the hot seat over Afghanistan withdrawal
Glen Sjögren, a 40-year police officer in Malmö, Sweden, says he was surprised by a recent report showing the rate of gun violence in the country has gone up. His city has been successful in recent years in tackling gangs and gun violence.  

Sweden’s gun violence rates have soared. But this Swedish city is bucking that trend.

​​​​​​​Sweden’s third-largest city, Malmö, implemented a strategy that has been successful in combating gangs. In turn, gun violence there has gone down. 

Sweden’s gun violence rates have soared. But this Swedish city is bucking that trend.
A red and white sign that says "Welcome to Älvdalen" in the language Elfdalian

A small town in Sweden fights to preserve Elfdalian, a dying forest language

The town of Älvdalen is fighting to preserve its local language amid pushback from some members of parliament.

A small town in Sweden fights to preserve Elfdalian, a dying forest language
Student activists carry posters and shout slogans as they participate in a protest march against climate change in Delhi, India, March 19, 2021.

Author Kim Nicholas on the five stages of 'radical climate acceptance'

Kim Nicholas, a climate scientist at Lund University in Sweden, has a new book out this week, "Under the Sky We Make: How to be a Human in a Warming World," to help people understand where they fit into solving the climate crisis. 

Author Kim Nicholas on the five stages of 'radical climate acceptance'
Alexei Navalny is shown wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and standing with his arms folded in a glass cage in a Russian courtroom.

Russia expels Western diplomats over Navalny rally

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Friday said it was expelling diplomats from Sweden, Poland and Germany for attending a rally in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Russia expels Western diplomats over Navalny rally
A man stands in front of the Skogafoss waterfall in Skogar, Iceland, March 8, 2020.

2020: The year of the primal scream — and other pandemic remedies 

The pandemic pushed our collective mental health to the breaking point with unprecedented stress, anxiety and fear. From screaming and baking to writing and singing, here are just some of the ways people around the world coped under lockdown.

2020: The year of the primal scream — and other pandemic remedies 
A sign reminding customers about social distancing is placed at the entrance to a grocery store in central Stockholm.

Sweden’s pivot toward new virus restrictions may not 'shift mindsets,' says Swedish scientist

Lena Einhorn, a filmmaker and former virologist, was one of the early opponents of Sweden's more relaxed coronavirus strategy. She joins The World's host Marco Werman to talk about how Sweden's new virus restrictions may not be enough.

Sweden’s pivot toward new virus restrictions may not 'shift mindsets,' says Swedish scientist
Syrian Omar Alshogre has given testimonies to European war crimes investigators and even to the US Congress.

He survived torture in a Syrian prison. Now, he’s set to study in the US.

Omar Alshogre was a teenager when security forces in Syria arrested him for participating in demonstrations. He was imprisoned and tortured. Last month, Alshogre learned he had been accepted to Georgetown University.

He survived torture in a Syrian prison. Now, he’s set to study in the US.