The Independent State — Foreign Relations

Abstract

Since gaining full independence in 1944, Iceland has been struggling to find its proper place in the world. In this chapter I analyse how post-imperialism shapes Iceland’s foreign relations. As described in Chapter 1, Iceland’s national identity created a dilemma between emphasis on self-rule and thus isolationism in foreign relations on the one hand and participation in international relations in order to support its claim for recognition as a European partner on the other. As I will illustrate, the legacy of the independence struggle still directs the discourse Icelandic politicians use in the debate on foreign relations. A strong emphasis on sovereignty has become the foundation on which Icelandic politics rests. Participation in European Union supra-national institutions, for example, falls rather outside the framework of Icelandic political discourse, which highlights Iceland’s sovereignty and stresses an everlasting independence struggle.