Sweden and Norway are reluctant siblings. Stuck side-by-side on the Scandinavian Peninsula
and conjoined by a border one-thousand miles long, they’re forever up in one
another’s business. Over the years,
they’ve faced many of the same threats – Vikings, Nazis, the usual
– but having a common foe did not unite them. Rather, Sweden’s response was, “We’re
neutral. Go invade Norway instead,”
whereupon Norway would get its butt kicked.
However, Norway has historically excelled at finding the silver lining
to any situation. Consider their Resistance
Museum’s analysis of Nazi occupation:
“Rationing had some advantages: people could no longer indulge, and the shortage of sugar meant less dental decay.”
