Sweden Burning? Really?
New Thinking for a New World - a Tallberg Foundation Podcast
05/05/22
•36m
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We live in the age of the refugee—and the numbers of people fleeing their homes are almost certainly going to continue to increase. Will they be welcomed or will destination countries try to harden borders?
Arguably, no country in the West has been more welcoming to refugees over the years than Sweden has. Progressive, secular, social democratic, Swedes have worked hard to integrate migrants into their society, to help refugees create new lives in their new home country.
How then do you explain what happened last month during Easter when Stockholm, Malmö and other cities were racked by riots and violent clashes between police and mostly Muslim young men? The proximate cause was actual or rumored Quran burnings, but is something more fundamental happening? Many refugees fleeing Middle Eastern wars seem to have decided they don’t want to become Swedes Instead, they want to remain who they are, but to live in a safe, wealthy country. Is there space in Sweden for people who don't want to be Swedish? What if many of those refugees reject Swedish progressive values in favor of Islamic values—whatever that means—in particular? And what does all of this imply for other countries who have not done anywhere near as much as Sweden has to welcome refugees?
Lars Åberg, one of his country's leading journalists and a prolific author, has thought and written about these questions for years. His beat covers social affairs, culture, politics and the media. Listen as he explains what Sweden has done right, but also what it has done wrong.
Previous Episode
Them vs Us: What Ukraine Is Really About
April 28, 2022
•35m
As Russia's war on Ukraine grinds on with no end in sight, what's at stake may be changing. At first, President Putin's demands seemed aimed at creating a buffer between Russia and NATO, even if some of his wildest rhetoric envisioned the possibility of kicking the United States out of Europe. But as Blitzkrieg turned into a war of attrition, arguably the confrontation is becoming about something much bigger than European security arrangements. **It's becoming about how the world works, about democracy versus autocracy, about free versus not free. ** Western media caricatures Russia's international support network as thin and vulnerable. In fact, a surprising list of countries, big and small, are either actively or passively supporting Putin's war. China, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, Belarus are obvious, but a number of others are at least hedging their bets. Why?
Our guest on this week's New Thinking for a New World podcast has a theory; indeed, more than a theory, he has lived experience. Leopoldo López is a Venezuelan patriot, who has been imprisoned for his efforts to resurrect democracy in his country, and who, it's safe to say, is high on the list of people whom President Maduro wishes would just go away. Listen as Leopoldo explains how the fight to save Ukraine reflects a much bigger, existential fight for freedom everywhere.
Next Episode
Ukraine Changes Everything
May 16, 2022
•38m
Russia’s war on Ukraine changes everything. Thousands have died; Ukrainian cities have been destroyed; the country’s factories and farms are largely rubble. Ukraine’s heroic resistance has denied the Russian’s their expected quick victory—resistance fueled by unprecedented Western sanctions on Russia and almost unlimited military resupply from NATO countries to Ukraine.
But the damage is not limited to Ukraine and to Russia. The knock-on effects include increased inflation and reduced growth—or even recession—around the world, food shortages and famines, and disrupted supply chains. Most importantly, the war seems to be the straw that is breaking the camel’s back of the post-Cold War world order, with unpredictable consequences.
And all of it would be immeasurably worse if President Putin acts on his nuclear threats.
The Tällberg Foundation recently hosted a discussion that touched on many of these issues. The speakers were Alan Stoga, Tällberg’s chairman; Pierre Lellouche, former French minister and politician; Nikos Xydakis, Greek journalist and former minister; Tomas Anker Christensen, Danish diplomat, who spoke in his personal capacity.Our conversation was hosted in Vamvakou, Greece by Vamvakou Revival and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).
This war is far from over and its reverberations will be with us for a long time. What do you think?
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