Mark Brolin

Mark Brolin is a geopolitical strategist and the author of 'Healing Broken Democracies: All You Need to Know About Populism'

Saturday

Mark Brolin

The secret behind Norway’s extraordinary football success

On paper, England should beat Norway in their World Cup quarter-final clash today. They have the Premier League: the richest clubs, the biggest audiences, elite academies, top-tier coaching, early age talent spotters and the most relentlessly competitive stage in world football. They have a deeper talent pool than Norway, and a squad trained by the weekly expectation to perform above and beyond. England have scale, money, noise and Harry Kane. Norway, rather inconveniently, have Erling Haaland. Norway’s success in making it to their first World Cup quarter final shows football excellence can be reached in more than one way That, at least, is the tempting way to frame Saturday’s game. Kane v Haaland.

Sunday

Mark Brolin

Denmark and the myth of centrism’s reinvention

The European centre’s favourite trick, when losing voters, is to explain that democracy is under grave threat and that power must therefore remain inside the circle of “sensible” centrists who know why voters are wrong. Starmer embodies the British variant of centrism: despite promises of real change, only managerial declinism has emerged Denmark has now provided the latest demonstration. Almost ten weeks after the election, Mette Frederiksen has secured another government. Her Social Democrats suffered their worst result since 1903, falling to 38 seats in a parliament of 179.

Saturday

Mark Brolin

Denmark’s velvet trap has been exposed

Denmark is, by almost any measure, an extraordinary success. A nation of six million that has produced Novo Nordisk, Maersk, Vestas and Lego. Its GDP per capita is comfortably ahead of Sweden and Finland. Greater Copenhagen (including Swedish Lund and Malmö) is ranked among Europe's top innovation clusters. Danish film culture – Bier, Vinterberg, the Borgen phenomenon – has convinced the world that Denmark has solved democracy, one subtitled thriller at a time. Copenhagen airport is the undisputed transport hub of the Nordic region. Denmark remains among the very happiest societies on earth, according to the latest World Happiness Report.

Friday

Mark Brolin

There’s nothing equal about Russia’s relationship with India

Vladimir Putin lands in Delhi, steps off the plane and instantly gets what he came for: the pictures. The handshake with Narendra Modi, the red carpet, the talk of a 'special and privileged strategic partnership'. For the Kremlin, this week’s summit in India is mainly a PR exercise: proof to Russians that their country is still received as a great power, while the West tries isolation. But don't be deceived if it appears that two equal giants are meeting. They are not. India, the land of the future, has surged to become the world’s fifth-largest economy and is on course to overtake Germany and Japan. Russia, the land of the past, now hovers at the fringes of the global top ten and is likely to also fall behind faster-growing economies such as South Korea and Australia.