I write today with the heaviest of hearts. I write to beg forgiveness on behalf of the entire Kingdom of Denmark, from her majesty Queen Margrethe II to the youngest Jute in the humblest hovel of Møgeltønder. For those of you somehow still unaware of the grave miscarriage of justice that has taken place in…
Over the past few decades, we’ve all come to understand that there is a “new normal” when it comes to security. We’ve watched 9/11, the London Metro bombings, and the Nairobi mall shooting in various stages of shock, denial, and finally numb acceptance. In the next few weeks, the world’s attention will shift to Sochi,…
Why does the Obama administration need to continue pretending that we are completely justified in spying on the personal communication of the leaders of friendly nations? The administration wants to have its cake and eat it too. You can claim to trust your allies and work towards closer multilateral ties, but spying on the leaders…
Today, the Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded by a five man committee in Oslo, Norway. The award, though still one of the most prestigious in the world, has taken some knocks in the past few years. The premature awarding of Barack Obama and the puzzling win by the European Union has led many to…
Sometimes, political gambits can propel savvy officials to the forefront of the party hierarchy. Other times, power moves leave parties divided and the politician himself looking foolish. The charismatic right wing politician who tried to throw a monkey wrench in the legislative process of his government last week has been dealing with the fallout ever…
The rest of the world could only watch in horror this week as members of the radical Islamist al-Shabaab militant group killed and wounded hundreds of people last weekend. The horrifying massacre brought forward ghosts past mass shootings and acts of terrorism, both of which Americans have had to witness in spades the last few…
It seems like so long ago that Hosni Mubarak’s regime finally toppled after months of protests. After a century of unrest in the Middle East, it seemed as though democracy was on the way in and dictators were on the way out. Now this sense of optimism seems to be fading into memory. All around…
My name is Nikolaj Hagen, I am a senior from Osakis, Minnesota and I am majoring in Political Science and Scandinavian Studies. My political beliefs are drawn from my background as a dual citizen of the U.S. and Denmark and heavily influenced by my parents. Growing up, my parents espoused the virtues of the Scandinavian…