Nordic Security Cooperation in a Homogenized Political Setting

Abstract

Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden find themselves in a more homogenized political environment than at any time during this century. The different orientations towards the three corners of the `power triangle' which previously inscribed each state's security orientation have become less important. The way political life is structured and the way it interacts with other social structures is becoming more uniform. At the same time, the Nordic cooperation of the Cold War period has been enveloped in the wider EU-based European political order. This has caused a crisis in Nordic cooperation, and further aggravated the clash between integration from either friendly or hostile forces inside each country. Intensified security cooperation holds out two promises. Firstly, by inserting a legitimizing element into the growing internationalization of security policy, which is highly contentious, it may facilitate the further pursuit of internationalization. Secondly, security cooperation offers a distinctive new deal for Nordic cooperation generally.