Portside

Politics above — politics below

Left views on elections abroad, the one-state solution, and more

In an age of mass protest, why aren’t we winning?

Reports and analyses from the world left's hot spots

School officials try to whitewash slavery and the Japanese-American internment

Election news from the Philippines, Ireland, France, Slovenia... and Ukraine’s socialist heritage

Li Andersson, Chair of the Finnish Left Alliance, and Minister of Education, has promoted polices to invest in teacher training and reduce differences between schools, improve public health, increase parental leave.

All five parties comprising the Finish governing coalition are women and there is near gender parity in parliament. Yet Finland is not a utopia for equality. There is still a wage gap, job segregation and the reality of domestic violence.

To the north, the Barents Sea, an offshoot of the Arctic Ocean, bounds them both. This remote region -- approximately 800 miles from Oslo and 900 miles from Moscow -- has, in recent years, become a vortex of economic and military activity.