Join: The New Backyard - a voice from the North

This is a landscape shaped by rock, wind and cold water. Fishing communities cling to exposed coastlines. Inland, forests, farms and reindeer grazing grounds meet growing demands for land and resources.

Further north, retreating sea ice lengthens shipping seasons and opens access to Arctic waters. Routes attracting commercial interest also carry risks for the people and ecosystems along them.

Wealth, land and power

There is wealth in the water, beneath the seabed and inside the mountains: fish, oil, gas and minerals sought by industries across the world.

Who controls that wealth matters. Mining, wind farms and power lines bring promises of jobs alongside disputes over nature, traditional livelihoods and Sámi rights. Energy policy reaches straight into household bills and the survival of local businesses.

To the east, Russia’s war against Ukraine has imposed an avoidable security crisis on its neighbours. Among our allies, political struggles also reach across borders. A deeply divided United States leaves northern Europe facing difficult questions about dependence and trust.

A new European era is emerging. The EU is strengthening defence cooperation, while European allies assume more responsibility within NATO. Building the capacity to carry that responsibility offers a path towards greater independence from Washington.

Journalism rooted here

The New Backyard is taking shape in this landscape, covering the Nordic and Baltic countries through the lives of the people who work here, raise families and bear the consequences of decisions made elsewhere.

Our foundations are democracy, peace, solidarity and international law. Our work is to examine power and follow the evidence.

Subscribe for free to The New Backyard. Follow our northern neighbourhood in 20 languages, and help its stories travel further.

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