Viewpoints
Opinion

Nordic Noir Politics

Nordic Noir Politics
Swedish and Icelandic flags flutter on the roadside as King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Icelandic President Halla Tomasdottir arrive in a horse carriage procession to the Royal Palace in Stockholm on May 6, 2025. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images
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Commentary

To many outside observers, particularly progressive Americans, the Nordic countries—Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland—represent a real-life utopia. Marked by an egalitarian ethos and substantial welfare systems, they appear to embody a certain vision of what the United States could be: societies of beautiful, educated people enjoying free health care, robust social safety nets, and widespread gender equality.

Anders W. Edwardsson
Anders W. Edwardsson
Author
Anders W. Edwardsson, Ph.D., is an author, political analyst, and public speaker with over three decades of experience in journalism, research, and media commentary across Europe and the United States. He is the author of several books on political history and American exceptionalism and currently teaches political science while contributing to think tanks and international publications.