In March, Swedish authorities said they had made a record number of drug-smuggling arrests since the start of 2018, following another record-breaking year in 2017. So far this year, Swedish customs authorities have seized more than 2,000 pounds of cannabis, over 725 pounds of cocaine, 307 pounds of amphetamines and 88 pounds of heroin coming in from outside the country. Sweden has long had one of Europe’s most restrictive drug policies, based on a zero-tolerance approach to eradicating drugs from society that is still highly popular domestically. In an email interview, Henrik Tham, a professor emeritus in the department of [...]
Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing series about press freedom and safety in various countries around the world. In March, Tanzania’s government imposed sweeping new regulations restricting online media, including requiring a license to run a blog that costs $930—more than Tanzania’s GDP per capita in 2016. The new regulations also affect online radio stations, streaming platforms, social media and internet cafes, which will now be required to install surveillance cameras. The clampdown follows other restrictions placed on Tanzania’s media in recent years that have severely limited freedom of expression. In an email interview, Jeff Smith, the [...]
Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing series about the production and trade of arms around the world. Between 2014 and 2017, Germany’s government approved some $31 billion in weapons sales, including almost $18 billion to countries outside the European Union and the NATO alliance. Under Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany has become one of the top five arms exporters in the world by volume, despite major domestic opposition to the sale of German weapons. In an email interview, Sophia Besch, a research fellow at the Center for European Reform and an expert on German defense and security policy, [...]
