Content

Issue Brief

Feb 4, 2026

A new Arctic strategy for Sweden

By David Auerswald

Sweden has the largest Nordic economy, a defense budget double what it was in 2022 and set to grow more, and cross-party consensus behind the foreign policy shifts that led Stockholm to join NATO in 2024. The government can and should shift its approach in the High North to a singular focus on deterring Russia.

Defense Policy
Europe & Eurasia

Issue Brief

Feb 4, 2026

Sweden’s role in countering hybrid threats in the Baltic Sea region

By Justina Budginaite-Froehly

The accession of Sweden to NATO brought the majority of the Baltic Sea under alliance control. Despite NATO's conventional superiority in the region, Russia continues to probe the Alliance's resolve with actions below the threshold of armed conflict. What advantages can NATO’s newest members offer the Alliance as it faces this aggression?

Defense Policy
Eastern Europe

In the News

Feb 2, 2026

Kroenig quoted in The Hill on US strategy in Greenland

By Atlantic Council

On February 2, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director Matthew Kroenig was quoted in The Hill on talks between the US and Denmark regarding Greenland.

Greenland
NATO

Dispatches

Jan 27, 2026

How the Nordic-Baltic states became Europe’s reliable security engine

By Anna Wieslander

Eight Northern European states are acting together early and turning solidarity into capabilities and delivery. 

NATO
Northern Europe

Dispatches

Jan 22, 2026

The US is taking action against Russia’s shadow fleet. In the Baltic Sea, Europe should follow suit.

By Justina Budginaite-Froehly

European nations should force Russia’s shadow fleet out of the Baltic Sea and help to reshape the maritime legal order.

Maritime Security
Northern Europe

In the News

Jan 21, 2026

Wieslander on Swedish radio

On Wednesday, January 21, Director for Northern Europe, Anna Wieslander, was interviewed on Swedish national radio to comment on Donald Trump’s speech in Davos. Following a week marked by a “war of words,” during which the U.S. President issued a series of escalatory statements, the announcement to refrain from the use of force against Greenland […]

Northern Europe
Security & Defense

In the News

Jan 19, 2026

Kroenig quoted in Wall Street Journal on Greenland

By Atlantic Council

On January 19, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director Matthew Kroenig was quoted in The Wall Street Journal on the Trump administration's policy toward Greenland, arguing that threats are a negotiating tool leveraged by the Trump administration.

Greenland
NATO

In the News

Jan 18, 2026

Kroenig on BBC on Greenland

By Atlantic Council

On January 18, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director Matthew Kroenig was interviewed on BBC's Newshour on how Trump's threats towards Greenland are impacting the NATO alliance.

Greenland
Northern Europe

In the News

Jan 18, 2026

Wieslander on Swedish national television

On Sunday, January 18, Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe, participated in a panel on the Swedish news program Agenda to discuss the threat of U.S. tariffs and the escalating Greenland crisis. “With Trump’s inauguration, we entered a new era, and we are now experiencing its effects,” Wieslander argues, noting that the new administration’s foreign policy posture […]

Northern Europe
Security & Defense

Dispatches

Jan 13, 2026

Greenland’s critical minerals require patient statecraft

By Reed Blakemore, Alexis Harmon

The island’s mineral wealth will take a decade or more to translate into meaningful supply.

Critical Minerals
Energy & Environment

Experts