The Foundations for Democracy in Scandinavia

Posted on by David Andersen

In times of perceived crisis in Western democracies, the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden stand out as remarkably stable: Polarization and populism are weaker than elsewhere, and civic unrest is very limited. Recent research shows that this extraordinary stability characterized Scandinavia even in the 19th and early 20th centuries when democracy replaced autocracy … Continue reading The Foundations for Democracy in Scandinavia

The Ghosts of History Haunt the Russia-Ukraine Crisis

Posted on by Elizabeth Wood

On February 22, as the Ukraine crisis was unfolding and Russia was just hours away from invading its neighbor, Putin’s former Minister of Culture, Vladimir Medinsky, told journalists that Ukraine today has to be seen as “a historical phantom.”   Putin, he said, is taking “historic” decisions in line with “the spirit of the times.”  Five … Continue reading The Ghosts of History Haunt the Russia-Ukraine Crisis