Below is the speech I delivered today, 28 July, at Stortorget in Helsingborg, invited by the Monday Movement. It was an honour to speak at a Monday gathering in the square, and moving to see all the people and all the commitment, three years into the full scale war of Ukraine. Dear friends, Exactly twenty-five years ago today, I travelled to Ukraine for the first time, to Donetsk, as a young and committed democracy activist. I met young Ukrainians organising for democracy and freedom of association. I saw their energy, their determination to break old corrupt patterns. That same energy is what carries the country today. I often think about those I met in those workshops so many years ago. I wonder what may have happened to them now. Whether they managed to leave the occupied areas. Whether they are alive. What became of them. War creates many stories. Mine…
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Tåget rullar långsamt västerut från Kyiv. Den ukrainska sommarvärmen pressar mot fönsterrutorna, men kupén förblir sval och stilla. Utanför glider landskapet förbi. Sädesfält, ensamstående gårdar, små samhällen där kriget inte är närvarande i varje hörn, men ändå närvarande i allt. Motståndskraften ligger som en underton i varje bildruta, ett tyst löfte om uthållighet. Resan från Kyiv till Polen med tåg, och därefter flyg vidare till Sverige, tar nästan ett dygn. Gott om tid att reflektera över dagarna som gått. Den här gången är inget undantag. Jag är här i mitt arbete vid RISE, som en del av det regeringsuppdrag Myndigheten för psykologiskt försvar har att stödja ukrainska myndigheter. Ett av de mer formella uppdragen under denna resa var att underteckna ett samförståndsavtal mellan RISE och Center for Countering Disinformation, under presidentadministrationen. Ett samarbete för att bygga kapacitet inom digital transformation och innovation. Men som alltid ligger det verkliga innehållet i…
Leave a CommentPorto, 30 juni 2025. Solen glittrar över Dourofloden och de terrakottafärgade takåsarna i Portos gamla stadskärna som ser ut att klättra längs kullarna. Längs kajen ligger de traditionella rabelo-båtarna förtöjda. Det är en stad som andas historia, handel och en djupt rotad europeisk kultur. Men innanför de tjocka granitväggarna i det gamla tullhuset, Alfândega do Porto, pågår ett samtal om en helt annan verklighet. En verklighet där krigets frontlinjer inte dras i lera och skyttegravar, utan i det digitala rum där vi alla lever våra liv, i våra egna sinnen. Jag är här för att delta i en hearing som är en del av ett möte inom Organisationen för säkerhet och samarbete i Europas (OSSE) parlamentariska församling. Jag har blivit inbjuden av den ukrainska parlamentariska delegationen för att återge mina perspektiv på att möta rysk hybridkrigföring och informationspåverkan, utifrån min erfarenhet såväl i Sverige som i Ukraina. Just dessa frågor…
Leave a CommentFrom across the Atlantic, where we Swedes enjoy our sometimes messy multi-party representative democracy and fika breaks, it is with both chock and dismay I observe a disturbing phenomenon in the United States of America. Words, mere collections of letters arranged in a particular order, have become enemies of the American state. Not guns. Not poverty. Not even the climate crisis threatening their Gulf of Mexico. Words. The year is 2025, and the American federal government has embarked on a bold initiative to protect its citizens from dangerous combinations of letters that might cause them to think about the systemic inequalities facing their diverse communities. These threatening terms, like “equity,” “inclusion,” and the particularly menacing “historically underrepresented”, have been deemed too radical for American sensibilities. Here in Sweden, we for sure have our set of problems too. We aspire to adhere to gender equality, which is a constitutional. We have…
Leave a CommentAs I look out over the bay from my hotel window in Nuuk, the stark contrast between Greenland’s pristine nature and our increasingly turbulent digital world feels particularly poignant. I’ve just finished delivering my lecture on “Digital Resilience” at the “Cool, Calm and Connected – Digital Arctic Futures” conference, and I wanted to share some reflections while the experience is still fresh in my mind. The conference hall at Hotel Hans Egede was filled with an engaged audience from across the Arctic region – government officials, telecom experts, academics, and civil society, all gathered to discuss the future of digital infrastructure in these northern territories. What makes this conversation so vital here in Nuuk is that the Arctic isn’t merely another region facing digital challenges. It represents a unique convergence of geopolitical tension, extreme environmental conditions, and communities deeply dependent on reliable connectivity. In my presentation, I built upon ideas…
Leave a CommentAs I step out of Nuuk Airport into the crisp March air, the landscape stretches before me in shades of white and blue. The contrast between the pristine Arctic environment and the purpose of my visit—discussing digital vulnerabilities, infrastructure, and resilience—feels particularly poignant. The fragility of both natural and technological ecosystems in this remote region creates a complex interplay that makes Arctic digital resilience a uniquely challenging field of study. Setting the Scene – The University of Greenland The University of Greenland (Ilisimatusarfik) hosted our research seminar on March 25, 2025, as part of a broader conference on digital infrastructure in the Arctic region. With its modern architecture nestled among snow-covered hills, the university provided a fitting backdrop for discussions about the intersection of technology and geography in one of the world’s most remote regions. The research seminar brought together an eclectic group of researchers from across the Nordic region…
1 CommentSweden and the EU are now under severe pressure from the United States. Donald Trump, once again holding the presidency, is threatening trade policy and legal action against countries that tax digital services or regulate the major tech companies. His latest executive order, which targets digital taxes and criticises European regulations such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA), demonstrates a unilateral and authoritarian agenda. Tensions regarding trade, technology, and digital rights are escalating, and Europe must act decisively to protect citizens’ freedoms and rights against authoritarian pressure from the United States. When the United States declares that trade barriers and tariffs may be introduced in response to European initiatives, all EU Member States are affected. While the issue primarily concerns taxation of digital services, it is underpinned by a deeper conflict over what digital society we should have. In Europe, we have taken as…
1 CommentIt’s difficult not to think about the United States during these times. One term I’ve increasingly heard mentioned in the same breath as the USA is the rather complex word “kakistocracy.” This concept, derived from Greek, where “κάκιστος” (kakistos) means “worst” and “κράτος” (kratos) means “rule,” refers to a system of government where the least qualified and most unscrupulous individuals hold power. The term has been used to describe situations where incompetence, corruption, and self-serving motives permeate political leadership, directly undermining good governance. Understanding this concept is crucial when analyzing America’s political evolution, particularly against the backdrop of changes in recent decades, and even more so in light of recent developments. Kakistocracy appears to be an increasingly relevant concept in the American context due to the growing erosion of democratic norms and institutions, combined with intense polarization and a political culture where special interests and loyalties outweigh competence and responsibility.…
1 CommentWhat if we could enhance teaching, training and exercises in the practice of mitigating foreign influence and malign information, through novel training materials? That was the starting question that has brought me on a journey over the past year, form our innovation labs at RISE – Research Institutes of Sweden, in Göteborg, to training sessions with the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency, and thereafter to training sessions with the Center for Countering Desinformation in Ukraine. This is a story about what started out as a fairly straightforward concept, but over the year evolved into a powerful resource for understanding, analyzing, and countering influence campaigns—both in Sweden and beyond. The journey of the deck of cards is also a story of international collaborations, of the importance of pedagogy and design, and the way a simple idea can grow to have profound impact. Initially developed at RISE, the Research Institutes of Sweden, the…
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