Good morning!
It’s Friday, March 6.
Just after last week’s Old Country Newsletter had been sent out, it was confirmed that the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which featured in our Postcard from the North during its visit to Malmö, had been approached by a suspected Russian drone.
“Försvarsmakten acted resolutely and disrupted it,” Sweden’s defence minister said.
The era of hybrid warfare, it seems, continues uninterrupted.
The Charles de Gaulle, flagship of the French Navy, has now left Malmö and is heading for the Mediterranean, amid the latest tensions involving Iran.
The world can feel like a rather tense place these days.
Which is perhaps all the more reason to wish you – now in Swedish – en riktigt underbar helg!
Phil
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Word of the week
LIVSNJUTARE [LEEVS-nyoo-tah-reh]
someone who enjoys the pleasures of life; bon vivant
War in Iran Reverberates in Sweden, Stirring Hope, Anxiety, and Political Debate
Attribution: Omni News
A week after joint strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, the conflict is rippling far beyond the Middle East. Including in Sweden, where reactions range from cautious support to deep concern over war, economic fallout, and stranded citizens abroad.
Across Swedish cities, members of the Iranian diaspora have expressed mixed emotions. Some see the attacks as a potential turning point against Iran’s ruling clerical regime. Others worry about loved ones and the risk of broader escalation. In cities like Linköping and Gothenburg, small demonstrations have drawn Iranian-Swedes carrying flags and calling for democratic change in Iran. For some protesters, the strikes are viewed not as a war against the Iranian people but as pressure on the regime that has ruled the country since the 1979 revolution.
At the same time, anxiety is widespread. Many Swedish residents with ties to Iran say they fear for relatives and friends who remain in the country. Students and young people in Sweden have also begun discussing the conflict more frequently, with some worrying the confrontation could expand into a wider global conflict.
The war is also affecting Sweden in practical ways. Sweden’s Foreign Ministry estimates that roughly 20,000 Swedish citizens live across the region affected by the escalating tensions, including Iran and several Gulf states. With airspace closures disrupting travel, thousands of Swedes have been left stranded, prompting the government to deploy a small emergency consular team to Riyadh to coordinate assistance.
Domestically, the crisis has sparked political friction. Opposition leader Magdalena Andersson criticized Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson for not focusing more directly on the situation, while the government insists it is actively monitoring developments.
Meanwhile, Swedes are also bracing for indirect effects—particularly rising oil and fuel prices—as the conflict threatens stability in one of the world’s most important energy regions.
Postcard from the North
Borgholms slott
In other news
🪦 Heliga Trefaldighetskyrkan in Gävle is undergoing a major renovation that requires the church floor to be recast and dehumidified. As a result, 101 grave slabs will be opened, temporarily disturbing remains that have been buried inside the church since the 17th century. The graves primarily belong to priests and members of the nobility, whose remains will be reinterred once the renovation is complete.
🚨 Säkerhetspolisen (Säpo) says the security situation in Sweden has further deteriorated following military operations by Israel and United States against Iran, increasing the risk of attacks on American and Israeli targets, as well as Jewish communities and Iranian opposition figures in Sweden. Despite the heightened tensions, the terror threat level remains at three on a five-point scale, meaning an attack could occur but no formal increase has been made. Säpo also warns that Iran may use criminal networks as proxies, while emphasizing that Russia remains a primary long-term threat alongside the broader, ongoing terrorism risk.
☕ A limited-edition coffee tin from a collaboration between Zoégas and Rörstrand has gone viral, causing crowds, long queues, and even arguments in grocery stores as customers compete to obtain one. The blue floral tins, released as part of a promotional campaign, are produced in limited numbers and are already being resold online for thousands of kronor. According to branding expert Eva Ossiansson of the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, such hype is driven by scarcity and the experience of “hunting” for a collectible item.
Sweden’s Governing Coalition Moves to Pause Controversial Teen Deportations
Attribution: Omni News
Sweden’s governing Tidö coalition says it will introduce a new legal “safety valve” aimed at halting controversial deportations of teenagers, while also reopening a politically sensitive debate over permanent residence permits. The move comes after mounting criticism of cases where young people who arrived in Sweden as minors risk deportation when they turn 18.
In a joint announcement, the parties behind the Tidö Agreement said they plan to clarify rules in Sweden’s family immigration framework so that authorities can take stronger account of dependency relationships between teenagers and the adults they live with. The expectation is that the Swedish Migration Agency will pause deportation decisions involving affected youths until the revised legislation is in place.
The agency’s director-general has previously indicated that if the government proposes a law that improves conditions for these young applicants, the authority could hold off on further decisions while waiting for the new rules to take effect. That possibility has now become central to the coalition’s strategy for addressing the growing political backlash.
The so-called “teen deportations” stem from earlier tightening of migration policy, which made temporary residence permits the norm and removed the possibility of staying in Sweden for “particularly distressing circumstances.” As a result, some youths who arrived as minors but were denied asylum face deportation once they reach adulthood.
At the same time, the coalition agreed to continue examining whether Sweden should replace permanent residence permits with temporary ones. The Justice Ministry will now supplement an earlier investigation into the issue, though a demand from the Sweden Democrats to implement the change in the next parliamentary term has been left out of the agreement.
The parties are also considering loosening rules for certain migrants who want to switch from asylum seeker status to work permits, potentially allowing them to apply without leaving Sweden, provided they meet salary and employment requirements.
Swede-ish Notes
A Swede’s View on American Politics
Since starting this newsletter, several readers have asked a similar question: What do Swedes actually think about what’s happening in the United States? Or, more specifically, what do I think about it all?
From the beginning, The Old Country was meant to be as non-partisan as possible. The ambition has been to mirror the tone of Swedish public service reporting, the kind you might hear on SVT or Swedish Radio. In other words: to explain what happened, what was said, and why it matters, while leaving the conclusions largely to the reader.
To meet some of the curiosity for reflection, we introduced this segment, Swede-ish Notes, as a kind of middle ground. Not quite news, not quite commentary. More like a short coffee-break thought attached to the larger stories of Swedish history and society.
But if the inbox is any indication, that compromise has only fueled more requests for something a little more opinionated.
The truth is that I’ve followed American history and politics for as long as I’ve followed politics at all. Like many outsiders looking in, I have plenty of thoughts about what unfolds across the Atlantic. Some of you might even find it interesting to hear one Swede’s interpretation of contemporary, and historical, America.
So, rather than gradually turning this newsletter into something it was never meant to be, I’ve decided to separate the two.
I’ve started a Substack (Substack is a more adult version of Twitter, or X, where longer texts are welcome, and where you can comment on and subscribe to future articles) where I’ll write more openly opinionated pieces about the United States: politics, history, and the strange moments where the two collide. Those texts will reflect my personal views, not the neutral approach that defines The Old Country.
Meanwhile, this newsletter will stay exactly what it has always tried to be: a steady window into Swedish news and history.
A link to the latest Substack piece is included below. It’s completely free to read. And if you’d like future pieces delivered directly to your inbox, you’ll find a sign-up option at the bottom of the text. They will not be delivered as frequently as this newsletter, but rather when I feel I have something to say.
Please note that the text was written last Saturday, before a confirmation of the death of the ayatollah.
You can find the text here:
“Thank you for your attention to this matter,” as a certain public figure likes to conclude his messages.
Do you have a story from the past that could be worth sharing? I bet you do! Or would you like to see something else in the newsletter and have suggestions for topics? If so, please reach out!
