The Nordic countries
The Nordic countries are among the most affluent in the world, and represent a stabil and well-functioning part of a changing Europe.
"The Nordic countries" is the historical and geographical name of the area consisting og Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The area has over 26 million inhabitants in total and an area of around 3,5 million square kilometres. Combined, the Nordic economy equals those of Russia and Spain. The Nordic countries have a long history as a cultural community, for example expressed through the establishment of the Nordic Council in 1959 and the Nordic Council of Ministers in 1971. The countries operate as a coordinated political block in many international contexts, and they are affiliated with the Nordic Passport Union, the Council of Europe, the EEA, the UN, and the Schengen Treaty. However, while Norway, Denmark and Iceland are members of NATO, Finland and Sweden are not. And similarly, while Denmark, Sweden and Finland are members of the European Union, Iceland and Norway are not.
Nordic cooperation on foreign and security policy is the core in NUPI's research on Nordic issues. Important questions are how the Nordic countries' different alliance policies affect their ability to cooperate in practice, and what possibilities the Nordic countries have as a block in international politics.
News about The Nordic countries
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POLICY BRIEF: Nordic Airpower Cooperation and Finland’s F-35 decision: Towards a New Era?
15 Dec 2021- Per Erik Solli
Finland’s F-35 decision enhances the airpower collaboration between the Nordic states.
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More alignment in Nordic states’ security and defence policies
8 Dec 2021- Katja Creutz
- Mikkel Runge Olesen
- Anna Lundborg Regnér
- Jakob Linnet Schmidt
The Nordic states’ assessments of the international security environment are becoming more similar, according to a new NUPI policy brief.
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Reduced influence in the Arctic?
4 Nov 2021In the Arctic Council, eight states work on, among several other pressing issues, the alarming impacts of global climate change. But who gets a say? Research Professor Elana Wilson Rowe investigates this in a new article.
Publications about The Nordic countries
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Publication
: Policy Brief
Nordic Airpower Cooperation and Finland’s F-35 decision: Towards a New Era?
2021Summary: The Nordic states air forces have cooperated closely, especially after Russia reinvigorated its military posture in the region from 2007-2008. With regional security policy and military strategy becoming more closely integrated after 2014, this tactical activity has become a key part of an...- Per Erik Solli
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Publication
: Academic lecture
Norden i verden
Lecture for the MFA trainee course, academic day. -
Publication
: Report
Nordic cooperation amid pandemic travel restrictions
2021Since 2020, the Nordic countries have been confronted with the Covid-19 pandemic, which has been a multi-level stress test for the region. The strong basis of open borders and free movement in Nordic cooperation has been questioned by national pandemic measures, including wide travel restrictions. The...
Research projects about The Nordic countries
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Research project
Scandinavia as an arena for Chinese economic statecraft
2021 - 2022 (Ongoing)China's utilisation of economic statecraft as a foreign policy tool challenges the accustomed distinction between Norwegian business policies, and Norwegian security policy. This opens for a novel...
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Research project
A new European security and defence architecture in the making What does it look like and what are the implications for Norway? (EURODEFENCE)
2021 - 2024 (Ongoing)This project will study the implications of the new European defence initiatives for Norway particularly, as an allied and closely associated non-member of the EU. Despite the incremental nature of the...
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Research project
Norway as an in-between for Russia: Ambivalent space, hybrid measures
2021 - 2023 (Ongoing)This three-year project addresses the acutely relevant question of whether Norway is acquiring the precarious status of an ‘in-between’ state in the Kremlin’s eye after the watershed events of 2014 (Annexation...