Building Democracy in the World’s Most Northerly City
In an Archipelago Above the Arctic Circle, Norwegians Are Creating a Polity From Scratch
Aimée Lind Adamiak knows the rules of Svalbard very well. She has lived for six years in Longyearbyen, the island’s Norwegian-controlled settlement of 2,500 people. She knows that as soon as she leaves the capital, she has to shoulder a loaded Mauser rifle: “On Svalbard there are more polar bears than humans, so we need to be ready to protect ourselves if necessary,” she said.
Lind Adamiak, who is a political science and history teacher at the local school and single mother of three, also participates in various local government committees. …
