Stand on principle

In the 2011 movie, Margaret Thatcher, played by Meryl Streep, famously states that ”we will stand on principle, or we will not stand at all". Rarely have those words been more relevant as Joe Biden (contrary to his earlier assurances) decides to pardon his son Hunter Biden, all while Donald Trump seeks to appoint Pete Hegseth as defence secretary, a man who repeatedly has suggested that the US should not abide by the Geneva Conventions.

By pardoning his son, Biden effectively validates the nepotism and favouritism of Donald Trump and undermines whatever remaining trust there is in things like institutional impartiality. And as for Hegseth, Sweden may soon find itself in a very different NATO than the one long idealized by Jan Björklund and others.