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This Happened
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

This Happened—January 16: An African Glass Ceiling Is Shattered

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Worldcrunch

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is sworn in as President of Liberia, making her the first African female head of state. It happened on this date in 2006.

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Who is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf?

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. She was the first woman in Africa elected as president of her country. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her “non-violent efforts to promote peace and her struggle for women's rights”.

What were Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s achievements in office?

As president, Sirleaf secured millions of dollars of foreign investment and established a Truth and Reconciliation Committee to probe corruption and heal ethnic tensions. She led Liberia through reconciliation and recovery following the nation's decade-long civil war.

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Geopolitics
sweden identity

The "Swedish Dream" Under Assault, At Home And Abroad

Reverberations of the war in Ukraine is just one factor forcing Sweden to reinvent its identity as a nation in a destabilized world order which puts into question the values the country had long stood for, including non-alignment, free trade and market liberalism.

Photo of someone walking through a town in Sweden

View of a street in Gothenburg, Sweden

Jonas Jacobsson/Unsplash
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Amélie Reichmuth

-Analysis-

STOCKHOLM — Sweden is making international headlines again, after a new turn in the country's NATO application, which has become more like a political thriller novel with each dramatic turn.

On January 21st, far-right politician Rasmus Paludan burned copies of the Koran during a demonstration outside of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. The stunt outraged many Muslims in Sweden and around the world.

Although Swedish government officials distanced themselves from the action, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country will veto Sweden's NATO application as long as protests desecrating the Islamic holy book are allowed to take place. Turkey also canceled the Swedish defense minister's scheduled visit to Ankara.

Swedish authorities seem to have learned from this experience, and earlier this month issued a rare ban of a rally protesting the NATO membership bid, which had been expected to include another Koran burning. "The burning of the Koran outside Turkey embassy in January 2023 can be determined to have increased threats against both the Swedish society at large, but also against Sweden, Swedish interests abroad and Swedes abroad," Swedish police said in a statement.

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