> I'm confused why stories about Sweden's success keep popping up here. The country had TEN TIMES the per capita death rate of its neighbors and still has the highest unemployment of all the Nordic countries. Seems to me like the worst of both worlds.

Because a lot of people, mainly for ideological reasons, would have preferred the US and the rest of Europe have done similar. A key part of justifying that view is to be convinced it was a success, true or not.