Now that Sweden has successfully beaten back its coronavirus outbreak, politicians in the country are pivoting to focus on a new issue that has emerged in the aftermath of the economic destruction wrought by the global outbreak. Even though Sweden never locked down its economy, it suffered an even larger economic contraction than its Nordic neighbors. This, combined with years of heightened migration fueled by crises in the Middle East and Africa, has continued to fuel growth in crime across stodgy Sweden.

When President Trump tweeted about the crime wave in Sweden, the mainstream media dismissed the president's concerns as simply regurgitating a 'bogus' story invented by Fox News, a claim echoed by Sweden's center-left political establishment. The truth, however, is much more complicated, and much more sensitive, than this denialism might suggest.