Book Review: Ann-Sofie Dahl, US Policy in the Nordic—Baltic Region. During the Cold War and After. Stockholm: Santérus Academic Press, 2008. 114 pp. ISBN 13-978—9173350099
| Author | Karolna Honkanen |
| DOI | 10.1177/0010836709344614 |
| Published date | 01 December 2009 |
| Date | 01 December 2009 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Book Review
Ann-Sofie Dahl, US Policy in the Nordic–Baltic Region. During the
Cold War and After. Stockholm: Santérus Academic Press, 2008. 114 pp.
ISBN 13-978–9173350099.
There is no question about the importance of the US to the security of the
Nordic–Baltic region, but how significant a role has the region played in
the overall strategy of the US? This is one of the questions that Dr Ann-
Sofie Dahl seeks to answer in this book.
Dahl begins her study by analysing US policies in the Nordic region
during the Cold War from the viewpoint of military containment. While
the region often played a peripheral role in NATO strategy, it was of
greater importance to the US owing to its geographic location between the
two superpowers. Dahl points out that the region was more successful in
attracting US strategic attention bilaterally than through NATO. However,
there were several shifts in US attention, as the region’s relevance was
highlighted during aggressive Soviet policies.
Also the ideological aspects of US policies in the region are examined
in Dahl’s study. The Nordic countries, divided in their strategic choices,
consti tuted ideologically one single region of solid democracies. All were
characterized by a certain tendency towards neutralism. Sweden and Finland
were officially neutral. In addition, Sweden considered herself a ‘moral
superpower’ and became a vocal critic of the US. Denmark and Norway
restricted their membership in NATO, and Denmark became known as a
‘footnote member’. Some of these Nordic policies undermined US efforts in
the ideological part of the Containment strategy, but the US commitment to
the region did not waver. Why? The region simply played such a crucial role
in the bipolar strategic setting.
The second part of the study deals with the post-Cold War era and
includes the three Baltic countries in the analysis. Dahl identifies elements
of both change and continuity. The most drastic case of change is the Baltic
States’...
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