Yes, of course we must protect Norway. We must protect our borders, our democracy and our population. But now it almost seems as if we must also protect Norwegian cross-country skiers from the terrible risk…
25 Years of War After 9/11
Twenty-five years have passed since 11 September 2001. Almost 3,000 people were killed in the terrorist attacks on the United States. It was a horrific crime that changed the world. But a quarter of a…
“YOU HAVE NO CHOICE”
When US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that America's allies are either “with us or against us” in the economic pressure on Iran, Norwegian politicians should hear the words for what they really are: a…
Has Norway Fooled Itself?
Since 2022, Norway has opened its borders, its treasury and its weapons stores to Ukraine. It began as a temporary relief effort for people fleeing. Four years later, the aid has become an almost permanent…
When Sanctions Become State-Sanctioned Piracy
Vladimir Putin recently warned that attacks, harassment and unlawful interference against Russian merchant shipping will be met in the same way as piracy. The statement will naturally be presented as yet another Russian threat. But…
Article 5 — NATO’s Greatest Bluff?
NATO repeats Article 5 like a creed. An attack on one is an attack on all. The phrase has been used so many times that it is hardly scrutinised any more. It is simply accepted.…
Neutrality Is Not Cowardice. It Is Survival.
Norway likes to describe itself as a nation of peace. A country that builds bridges, negotiates agreements and stands on the side of international law. But what happens when the bridge-builder becomes a frontline state…
NATO Is Meeting Again — But Who Is…
When NATO gathers in Turkey, first at parliamentary level in Istanbul and then with its top leaders in Ankara, it is presented as a meeting about security, unity and responsibility. But behind the fine words…
Norway Earned Around 3,000 Billion Kroner in War…
There is a strange quality to the Norwegian public debate: it is able to talk at length and coherently about what the war in Ukraine costs us – and systematically avoid talking about what it…