Before we go any further, it helps to know roughly where I’m coming from — culturally, not politically
My background is a slightly chaotic Western cocktail: Swedish at the core, with German–French (Alsace) and American strands woven in, plus a generous helping of the UK acquired through life rather than ancestry. I’ve lived and worked across most of the places that shaped the modern West, which gives you a few advantages: you tend to spot patterns others miss, and you quickly learn that every country thinks it’s the sensible one.
I grew up in Sweden, spent time in the Swedish Navy, and spent the rest of my youth sailing, skiing, and generally testing the limits of what adults thought was wise. Later I studied in the UK and the U.S., built businesses, crossed the Atlantic more times than I care to remember, and eventually settled back in the UK.
After a few decades ricocheting between Europe and America, you start to notice something: everyone has their own myth about Sweden. Admiration in some places, baffling fantasies in others. The truth — as usual — sits somewhere in the middle. So I take what’s useful, ignore what isn’t, and keep moving.
I don’t fit neatly into any single national story, and that’s probably an asset. When I write about the EU, the UK or the U.S., I’m not flying a flag, settling scores, or auditioning for a tribe. I’m trying to make sense of how these places understand each other, misunderstand each other, or simply talk past each other out of habit.
That’s all this section is: context for the lens you’re looking through.
No branding exercise, no identity parade — just the lay of the land.
For a more CV “About Me”: http://linkedin.com/in/ericwigart
