Determinants of Icelandic Foreign Relations
| Author | Thrainn Eggertsson |
| Published date | 01 March 1975 |
| Date | 01 March 1975 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/001083677501000108 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Determinants
of
Icelandic
Foreign
Relations
THRAINN
EGGERTSSON
University
of
Iceland
Eggertsson,
T.
Determinants
of
Icelandic
Foreign
Relations.
Cooperation
and
Con-
flict,
X,
1975,
91-99.
It
is
the
thesis
of
this
paper
that
the
major
determinants
of
Icelandic
foreign
relations
can
be
classified
under
three
headings:
population,
economic
geography,
and
geographic
location.
The
thesis
is
spelled
out
in
some
detail,
and
the
fundamental
goals
of
Ice-
land’s
foreign
policy
are
presented
as
an
interplay
of
these
determinants.
Finally,
the
country’s
foreign
policy
in
three
major
areas -
national
security,
European
integration
and
the
fishery
zone
question -
is
analysed
in
these
terms.
Thráinn
Eggertsson,
University
of
Iceland.
Icelandic
foreign
relations
are
not
a
com-
plicated
affair,
and
follow
a
fairly
pre-
dictable
path
once
a
few
behavioural
de-
terminants
have
been
uncovered.
It
is
the
thesis
of
this
paper
that
the
major
de-
terminants
can
be
classified
under
three
headings -
population,
economic
geo-
graphy,
and
geographic
location -
and
it
further
purports
to
show
how
the
inter-
play
of
these
factors
has
moulded
Ice-
landic
foreign
policy.
I.
POPULATION
FACTORS
The
population
of
Iceland
on
1
December
1974
numbered
approximately
216,000,
of
whom
about
87,000
were
in
the
labour
force.
Males
aged
16
to
45
were
about
47,000
in
number.
These
simple
facts
are
of
the
utmost
importance.
First,
given
the
constraints
of
modern
technology,
the
size
of
the
labour
force
alone
precludes
eco-
nomic
self-sufficiency
except
for
a
primi-
tive
farming
community.
Secondly,
the
small
number
of
young
males
makes
all
plans
for
an
Icelandic
army
meaningless,
as
such
a
body
would
be
of
no
military
consequence
in
an
armed
conflict
with
practically
any
other
country
in
the
world.
II.
ECONOMIC
GEOGRAPHY
FACTORS
In
relation
to
population
Iceland
is
a
large
but
barren
country.
Agriculture
is
diffi-
cult
and
unproductive,
and
the
country
is
devoid
of
minerals.
Paradoxically,
living
standards
are
high
even
when
compared
with
conditions
in
advanced
industrial
nations.
The
reason
is
found
in
the
fishing
grounds
around
the
country,
which
are
among
the
richest
in
the
world.
A
resource
based
export
industry
with
exceptionally
high
productivity,
fishing
and
fish
pro-
cessing
has
been
the
backbone
of
the
economy.
Fisheries
have
practically
made
the
country
inhabitable,
and
have
pro-
vided
the
bulk
of
her
export
earnings,
which
in
turn
have
been
used
to
import
consumer
goods,
investment
goods
and
essential
raw
materials.
Even
equipment
and
investment
goods
for
the
all-important
fisheries
are
imported.’
The
grounds
around
Iceland
have
been
overfished.
however,
and
fish
stocks
have
been
steadi-
ly
declining
in
recent
decades.
It
has
therefore
been
clear
for
some
time
that
a
new
high
productivity
export
industry
will
have
to
be
developed
to
supplement
the
fisheries,
otherwise
high
and
rising
living
standards
for
a
growing
population
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