Welcome to the Hepatica

My name is John Gustavsson. I’m a lecturer and writer, and my ambition with this newsletter is to provide in-depth commentary on US & International economic and political issues from my own rather unique conservative perspective.

About me: At the age of 18, I left Sweden to study in the Republic of Ireland. After completing my Bachelor’s degree, I moved to the United Kingdom to pursue a master’s degree, before once again moving back to Ireland where I ended up getting my PhD in Economics. I have also lived in Belgium where I worked in the European Parliament. I am now back in Sweden where I work as a lecturer in economics at DIS Stockholm, a study abroad foundation aimed at American students wishing to study abroad in Scandinavia.

I have a long-running interest in the US and US politics going back to my teenage years. While summarizing my political views is not easy, some of my key beliefs include a belief in American exceptionalism. If I sometimes appear strongly critical of the policies and priorities of US administrations and politicians, please understand that this criticism is coming from a place of love. I strongly believe that the US needs to implement serious fiscal reforms if the 21st century is to be another American century, which I sincerely wish for it to be.

I also believe that Europe should remain a continent made up of independent nation-states, rather than turning into one large superstate. For this reason, I oppose the European Union and support Brexit. Finally, I fully support Ukraine and oppose every attempt at Russian expansionism.

I am an occasional contributor to the Dispatch. Posts prior to December 2022 (when I joined Substack) mainly contain excerpts and links to my articles in the Dispatch and other sites that I have contributed to in the past.

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