Opinion

When non-Norwegian becomes Norwegian

If you have grandparents from Pakistan and a mother who came to Norway as a marriage migrant bride, you are every bit as Norwegian as the Hardanger fiddle and brown goat’s cheese. At any rate, you are counted as part of the majority population. All it takes is for one of your parents to have been born in Norway. That also places you in the fastest-growing demographic segment in Norway.

The story the media left out: Sandra’s family ignored deportation orders for 18 years

All of Sweden is crying for 13-year-old Sandra. But behind the headlines about a child being deported lies a story the media would rather not tell: 18 years of rejected applications, appeals, and ignored deportation orders. The question is not why Sandra must leave Sweden – the question is why her mother never did.

Who’s the real Andy Burnham?

Keir Starmer’s chief challenger, Andy Burnham, has been portrayed as a political chameleon, but he will be forced to reveal his true self if he becomes the next Labour leader and Prime Minister. That may prove difficult for a politician known for adopting positions according to the mood of the day and whatever best serves his own career.

The Viking row exposes Norway’s cultural nerves

Norway’s Viking row began as a football celebration. When parliament joined in, it exposed a larger truth: culture, heritage and national symbols still matter — and there should be no shame in that.

Trump’s Iran deal is a strategic opportunity

If Trump’s framework succeeds in silencing the guns, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, reducing risks to Israel and the Gulf region, and creating a diplomatic window to address Iran’s nuclear program, that would be a positive outcome. The question is what happens next. The answer will determine whether this marks a genuine turning point or merely a pause before the next crisis.

AfD consolidates its position as Germany’s largest party, but it won’t matter

Alternative für Deutschland is consolidating its position as Germany’s largest party, but in real-political terms that means nothing so long as those who do not oppose the takeover and Islamisation of the country are, collectively, the larger group.

The Greta Thunberg myth is beginning to crack

Greta Thunberg stepped into a mythological spectacle as an innocent child with moral and intellectual authority who told power the truth. When she is linked to terrorist movements and antisemitism, the myth cracks. It exposes how people let themselves be fascinated by illusion. But when Thunberg is gone, the myth will no doubt find other figures.

Trump: Iran already has a new leadership

USA and Israel have killed the two top layers of Iranian leadership. Those who have taken over are far more compliant and smarter, said Trump at a press conference laced with Trumpisms: spontaneous impulses and outbursts. Trump appears to suggest that a regime change is underway in Tehran, analogous to the course change in Venezuela. The USA took out the leader, and the rest changed course. Something similar is underway in Tehran, Trump believes.

Roger Pielke Jr. paid a high price for telling the truth

The climate panel’s abandonment of its most catastrophic climate-change scenarios marked a moral victory for climate scientist Roger Pielke Jr. But the truth about the consequences of climate change was so unwelcome that the University of Colorado effectively squeezed him out. As the climate debate became increasingly politicised, colleagues turned their backs on him.

When death is offered as a solution

Active euthanasia is often presented as the most humane response to unbearable suffering. Yet a society’s moral maturity is also measured by its ability to protect human dignity when suffering is at its greatest, dependence at its deepest, and utilitarian considerations at their most tempting.