Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Norway on Thursday to announce the most remote US diplomatic post in the world:
Blinken said the U.S. would open what is known as an “American Presence Post” in Tromso, about 215 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The post will open this year and be staffed by a single U.S. diplomat with the title of “consul.”
Damn. One guy in a post 215 miles north of the Arctic Circle. What's he going to do?
The good news for our new consul is that Tromsø is surprisingly large, with a population of 77,000 and growing. According to the font of all knowledge, "The city centre contains the highest number of old wooden houses in Northern Norway, the oldest dating from 1789. Tromsø is a cultural hub for the region, with several festivals taking place in the summer." So at least there's stuff to do and see.
Also of note: One theory holds that the city's name derives from a nearby mountain known as Tromma, or The Drum. So there's that.
So is that consul's next post in the Seychelles?
I traveled through Tromso once and found a can of tamales in a store. It was a rare treat in those days, and I have remembered it fondly for 50 years.
Pretty strategic location! With warming seas, maritime traffic is slated to pick up quite a bit in those parts. And there is a new US-UK-Norway defense agreement that gives us access to nearby air and navy bases so we can all keep an eye on what the Russians are up to in the far North. The consul may be the only permanent position there, but I doubt he/she will be the only one in the office.
Tromso is not quite as far north as Barrow, Alaska, but it's pretty far north: above the Arctic Circle, Land of the midnight sun, and all that. OTOH, Tromso is much larger than Barrow or any city in Alaska north of Anchorage. You could go south from Tromso to vacation in Iceland!
I just learned the town of Barrow is now Utqiaġvik.
“Utqiaġvik, formerly known as Barrow, is the borough seat and largest city of the North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.[6] Located north of the Arctic Circle,[7] it is one of the northernmost cities and towns in the world and the northernmost in the United States, with nearby Point Barrow which is the country's northernmost land.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utqiagvik,_Alaska
Point Barrow is apparently still Point Barrow.
These very small "American presence posts" and "Consular agencies" are often staffed by some American they hire locally, not a Foreign Service Officer sent from the U.S.
Yes, and the job is small bore, issuing visas and such. And in this case probably hosting US visitors with job titles that have nothing to do with their actual jobs.
Well put.
I 100% would unironically love to have this job.
You got me, what’s the "font of all knowledge“?
Wikipedia.
I'd work that post.
Wasn't there a story once about England being reticent to join France in some war against Germany? The English refused saying that, despite German aggression, no Englishman had been killed. The French replied, send us an Englishman, and we will see that he is killed.
It's also possibly the "Thule" where Pytheas of Massalia landed on one of his expeditions.
Probably intended to piss off Russia