Titill:
Iceland’s alignment with the EU–US sanctions on Russia: autonomy versus dependence
Höfundur:
Baldur Þórhallsson og Pétur Gunnarsson
Tilvísun:
Baldur Þórhallsson og Pétur Gunnarsson. 2017. “Iceland’s alignment with the EU–US sanctions on Russia: autonomy versus dependence.” Global Affairs: 1-12. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23340460.2017.1377626
Abstract:
In 2015, the Icelandic government considered withdrawing its support for the sanctions against Russia over Ukraine. That came as a surprise to many, as Iceland had otherwise tended to align itself closely with the USA and the EU in such matters. The Icelandic fishing industry lobbied hard for the sanctions to be lifted, to avoid Russian counter-sanctions on Iceland. After considerable internal debate, the government decided to uphold the sanctions, but settled on a policy of not taking part in EU declarations about the sanctions. That decision is interesting, given Iceland’s traditional positioning between two centres of gravity in world politics: the EU and the USA. This article discusses what this case tells us about Icelandic policy-makers’ room for manoeuvring in the formulation and enactment of its foreign policy, and about Iceland’s foreign policy bonds to the USA and the EU.
