A New Nordic Balance: Nordic security policies and their impact on Iceland

Abstract

Iceland‘s security policy is under review in the wake of the departure of the US military. While policy making is still under way, one of the options frequently mentioned is that of an increased cooperation with the Nordic countries. The article thus reviews the Nordic countries‘ security policies, especially in light of the recent revision of the EU‘s Lisbon Treaty, creating a Solidarity Clause. The article employs the Securitization theory presented by Ole Wæver and the Copenhagen School in international relations toshed a lighton the Nordic countries‘ different approaches to security. The security and defence policies of the four Nordic countries are analyzed, but for Iceland speeches of the Minister for Foreign Affairs are used, as no formal security policy exists. The article concludes that the Nordic countries are likely to continue their cooperation with NATO and the EU, although Norway, Sweden and Finland may, in particular, benefit from increased Nordic cooperation. Iceland‘s security interests are not likely to be served by increased Nordic cooperation, such as that proposed by the Stoltenberg Report, as it would be more symbolic than practical.