Why Sweden Stopped Pretending to Be Switzerland

My Two Home Countries Were Famously Neutral. But They Were Never the Same

Can we, and should we, ever really be neutral? In a new series, Zócalo explores the idea of neutrality—in politics, sports, gender, journalism, and more. For the inaugural essay, Swedish-Swiss journalist Bruno Kaufmann examines how his two famously “neutral” home countries diverge.

For most of my life, people have offered joyful shouts when I have presented either of my passports, or answered the question of where I come from. They have positive associations with my two home countries, Switzerland and Sweden, even if they confused …

by Bruno Kaufmann | May 8, 2024

Sack Octavius and Newsom! The Recall Is as Old as the Roman Republic

The Tool for Removing Elected Officials Has Had Centuries of Champions—from the Levellers to Lenin

by Matt Qvortrup | August 30, 2021

The recall—the tool being used in an attempt to remove Gavin Newsom as California’s governor before his term is over—might seem strange or novel. It’s neither. The recall is nearly …