Nordicness as a shelter: the case of Iceland

ABSTRACT

This paper will examine the role that Nordicness has played in Iceland’s foreign policy. Iceland can be characterized as having a high degree of cultural density with the Nordic states. However, the Nordic environment did not have significant impact on Iceland’s foreign policy during the Cold War. In the post-Cold War era the Nordic environment is having a higher degree of impact on the construction of Iceland’s foreign policy and Iceland is reinstating its Nordicness through its cooperation with the Nordic states in the fields of security and European integration, as well as through its Arctic policy. Nevertheless, we find that there are limits to the Nordic states’ solidarity with their smallest family member, Iceland. The Nordic states may be more willing than others to provide Iceland with political and economic shelter but their capacity and willingness to provide Iceland with shelter is restricted by their relations with European powers.

KEYWORDS:

• Nordic states
• Nordic cooperation
• Iceland
• shelter
• small states
• international relations

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Baldur Thorhallsson Professor of Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair in European Studies at the Faculty of Political Science and Programme and Research Director at the Centre for Small States at the University of Iceland.