The Long Arm of War in the Arctic
Journal: Fourth Genre Explorations in Nonfiction
Year: 2026

Its remoteness is the first thing. From the air, it is the only thing—metamorphic rock pushing against the last stands of conifer and birch along Norway's Arctic coast. Below me is a world jumping off into the sea. Human presence feels unlikely here. Yet in this remote region where tundra and taiga vie for dominance sits a town called Kirkenes, seven miles from the Russian border.A bear mounted in attack pose stands guard over the baggage carousel at the tiny Kirkenes Airport, daring us to pick