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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What affects Nordic defence cooperation?
13 Apr 2021We have lacked good tools for analysing security cooperation in medium-sized regions such as the Nordic areas, according to Karsten Friis (NUPI). His most recent article offers a solution.
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Nordic research cooperation is more important than ever in a rapidly changing world: concrete proposals for developing cooperation
10 Feb 2021The Nordic Ministers of Foreign Affairs were meeting 10 February. Their virtual meeting was an opportunity to discuss the potential for increased Nordic research cooperation at a time where the world around us is changing rapidly.
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How do the Nordics position themselves in the new European security landscape?
19 Mar 2020In a new joint report, researchers from NUPI and research institutes in the Nordics have investigated this.
Publications about The Nordic countries
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Publication
: Popular scientific article
Why the Nordic states maintain differentiated foreign policies
Nordic governments frequently broadcast their ambition to do more together on the international stage. In this blog post, Kristin Haugevik and Ole Jacob Sending explain why we still shouldn’t expect to see any profound increase in joint Nordic foreign policy positions and actions – and especially not... -
Publication
: Academic article
Why do firms import via merchants in entrepôt countries rather than directly from the source?
2021An increasing share of world trade happens indirectly via merchants in third countries, so-called entrepôts. This article uses an exhaustive and highly disaggregated dataset for Norwegian firms’ import transactions to study the motives for importing through such merchants rather than directly from the... -
Publication
: Popular scientific article
How states manage international censure: Norway's response to criticism of its Child Welfare Services
2021When states are criticised, they normally recognise, reject or counter the critique. Yet they could listen to and contain criticism without directly rejecting or recognising it. Using criticism of Norway’s Child Welfare Services as an example, Kristin Haugevik and Cecilie Basberg Neumann show that diplomatic...
Research projects about The Nordic countries
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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...
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Foto: Kyrre Lien/NTB Scanpix
Research project
Defending and renewing multilateralism: Estonia and Norway in the UN Security Council
2020 - 2021 (Ongoing)This project will explore possibilities to enhance Estonian-Norwegian bilateral cooperation in promoting multilateral cooperation and a rules-based global order in the framework of the United Nations Security...
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Foto: NTB Scanpix
Research project
When every act is war: Post-Crimea conflict dynamics and Russian foreign policy (WARU)
2020 - 2023 (Ongoing)Tension between great powers in world politics is escalating rapidly. What are the driving forces behind deteriorating relations? Can we explain them solely by the ‘aggressiveness’ of the other (be they...