Newsletters

Periodically, I send newsletters by e-mail to my friends, and I publish these letters on this page.

Que sera, sera, whatever happens, happens Oct. 7, 2007
At the moment I work in Norway, but I have no idea what to do after November. However, there is no reason to worry because I'm a Christian, and I think God has a perfect plan for me.
In memory of my father July 24, 2004
My father died on July 14, and I have many fond memories of him. The strange thing is that I have a lot of energy to deal with other projects at the same time. Part of the reason could be that my father was ill for many years, and we wished for him to depart from this life, even if it is a bit empty.
I am not a spy! Dec. 17, 2003
My time as a journalist in the former Yugoslavia is probably over, but I've had many colorful and interesting experiences. Many Serbs seems convinced that I am a spy, but if that is true, I would have been the worse spy on this planet. But the friends I found in Serbia are friends for life.
The rush of news April 1, 2003
At the moment, I'm covering news from Norway to the rest of the world for The Associated Press. The Oslo correspondent works somewhere in the Iraqi desert, and I cover for him. In addition, I also spoke to a priest in Baghdad in the middle of the bombing, and I wrote this article for the magazine Christianity Today.
I love America, but .... July 16, 2002
I'm frustrated by the lack of perspectives from President Bush and his attemts to redicule respect for international justice. The Americans are dodging international treaties like the International Criminal Court, and I have to voice my opinion. I don't think most Americans are aware of the consequences of this policy.
Back home to the former Yugoslavia June 30, 2002
My trip to Pakistan has been the most exhausting thing I've done, mentally and physically. I have been close to abused women, and I have received a glimpse of what it is like to be a religious minority in Pakistan, the country where there is a capital punishment for insulting the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Now it's time to return to the former Yugoslavia, which is almost like my second home.
Happy birthday to you, Kristian! Feb. 1, 2002
On Feb. 2, I'm 30 years old, and I will be celebrating the day in Peshawar, Pakistan. Even if I'm a freelance journalist living on a minimum budget, I experience things my colleagues with a lot of money don't. I get to feel what life is like for normal people. In this newsletter, I also give some comments on the current political situation in the area in and around Afghanistan.
Afghanistan and the loss of two cars, Dec. 14, 2001
About changing environment from the Balkans to the new center of the news in the areas around Afghanistan. You can also read how I lost my two cars.
The Journey and The Death, September 2001
My friends in Belgrade thought I was crazy when I told them about my plan to drive a 24-horse power Yugoslav bright yellow mini car fro m Belgrade to Oslo. But I made it, even if the car had to die.
Filtering Macedonian government propaganda , May 20, 2001
One of the most important jobs for a journalist is to filter the information coming from the different parties, and in the last week I have been following the conflict between the Macedonian government and the Albanian rebel group UCK based in Northern Macedonia. There is a lot of disinformation on all sides, but I am not at all impressed with the Macedonian government's way of handling information. I cannot trust anything from them.

Montenegro’s leaders disappointed despite election victory , April 23, 2001
Thanks to good friends in Podgorica, I was able to be the only foreign journalist to be inside the election headquarters of Milo Djukanovic in the parliament election in Montenegro on April 22, and and even if they appeared happy to the outside world, I could see their disappointment.

Slobo in the slammer and other experiences , April 9, 2001
When an attempt was made to arrest Slobodan Milosevic on March 31, I was three meters away when serbian elite SWAT teams moved into Slobodan's villa with automatic gun fire and stun grenades. A quite interesting experience.

Border instability and NATO - Yugoslavia alliance , March 14, 2001
Old enemies become friends in combatting Albanian rebels and hardliners. With Slobodan Milosevic out of office, some hoped for greater stability in the Balkans, but extremists find it useful for the region to unstable. Read more about a terrorist attack killing 11 Serbian civilians and the border instability in Southern Serbia and Macedonia.

Dutch sniper killing Serbs, Dec. 31, 2000
A quite interesting story about Johan Mekkes, alias Qlirim, which means the liberator in Albanian. He was working as a sniper for the Albanian rebel army UCPMB in the Presevo Valley. Qlirim was living in a fantasy world, and he claimed to have killed 72 Serbs in the Presevo Valley. I don't believe much of it, but it is interesting to see what happens to a man that has been in different wars for almost 20 years.

Beautiful Belgrade , Dec. 18,2000
Despite that fact that Norway contributed four F-16 fighter planes and one C-130 Hercules transport plane in the bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, people are very friendly against Norwegians. People even take me for a Serb, and I've been stopped several times on the streets where people ask me for directions etc in Serb! That would never happen in Kosovo.

Lost Baggage and other Kosovar Difficulties , Oct. 18, 2000
Twenty-two days without my baggage in Kosovo was a challenge, but Kosovo faces far more serious challenges. The justice system needs drastic reforms. According to a report from the OSCE , Kosovo's justice system does not yet meet international standards for an acceptable and fair treatment in many cases.

Leaving Kosovo , July 25, 2000
My farewell letter after seven months as a press officer in KFOR.

Life in Kosovo , Feb. 10, 2000
My 28th birthday was a pretty interesting and explosive day. We received a report that an UNHCR bus had been hit by an anti-tank rocket, and two Serbs were killed. This was an unprovoked attack against innocent civilians, and the bus was under KFOR protection. As a KFOR officer, I was able to see the damage on the bus.

Kahrs going to Kosovo , Dec. 1, 1999
My expectations before going to Kosovo as a press officer.

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