A “Special” Iceland

November 17th, 2009 → 10:24 am @

26


A “Special” Iceland

It is puzzling to an outsider that Iceland is already deeply integrated
into European and other international treaties and organizations (including
the European Economic Area, the Schengen border-control
agreement, the Council of Europe [consisting of parliamentarians
from more than forty European countries], NATO, the Nordic Council,
the Arctic Council, the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development, the World Trade Organization, and the United
Nations) and has accepted the “sovereignty” constraints implied
Iceland as Icarus
Challenge/May–June 2009 27
by these memberships. But a strong political consensus has united
groups across the political spectrum against membership in the
European Union. Whereas most other nations have modifi ed their
implicit concept of sovereignty to include as an important component
the right to participate in international organizations and sit
at the table where regional and global decisions are being made, a
majority of Icelanders have stuck to an older notion of sovereignty
as freedom from outside infl uence—freedom to remain “special” in
the ranks of nations.14 The leader of the Left-Green political party
said in 2000, “Membership [in the EU] would mean diminished
independence and sovereignty, loss of speciality.” A prominent
Left-Green politician echoed him, saying that “membership in the
EU will undermine Iceland’s self rule.” Toward the other end of the
political spectrum, then prime minister David Oddsson declared in
2002 that the EU was “one of the most undemocratic bureaucratic
monsters man has ever created.”

It is puzzling to an outsider that Iceland is already deeply integrated into European and other international treaties and organizations (including the European Economic Area, the Schengen border-control agreement, the Council of Europe [consisting of parliamentarians from more than forty European countries], NATO, the Nordic Council, the Arctic Council, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Trade Organization, and the United Nations) and has accepted the “sovereignty” constraints implied by these memberships.

But a strong political consensus has united groups across the political spectrum against membership in the European Union. Whereas most other nations have modifi ed their implicit concept of sovereignty to include as an important component the right to participate in international organizations and sit at the table where regional and global decisions are being made, a majority of Icelanders have stuck to an older notion of sovereignty as freedom from outside influence—freedom to remain “special” in the ranks of nations.

London School of Economics professor Robert Wade on Icelandic myopia.

This weekend, Left Green MP Asmundur Einar Dadason assumed the leadership position in Heimssyn, the organization apparently devoted to make Iceland into a cross between internationally secluded North Korea and tax haven Cayman Islands. Sorry, bad pun intended.

But seriously the organization’s goal is to keep Iceland out of the EU. And they just might win on that one. Asmundur is a government MP.

In the process they will use the romantic, relatively short lived, but dated idea of national sovereignty, of Iceland as a country that is “better”, “more special” and can take better care of itself on its own than the dirty foreigners(seriously, heard from a family man) who eat contaminated food(no, seriously heard from a former government official) and want to regulate bananas.

But without increased international relations, and massive foreign aid could it be possible that Iceland would still be a third world country? That is what it definitely was when my grandfather was born and was last defined in 1977, a year after I was born.

There is no romantic notion behind Heimssyn, apart from their propaganda. It is just talk to keep influence and power in society. It is easier without modern rules, laws and regulations. It would be impossible for them to devaluate the currency for the benefit of the richest at the cost of everyone else.

In 2009, there are still some people who are so xenophobic and myopic that they cannot see beyond their own garden.  While other nations have moved forward with their concept of sovereignty to include the real world where they aren’t alone, Icelanders are still susceptible to the nationalistic rhetoric from the early 20th century.

EU is not a perfect organization, neither are all those above. But at least those nation who are participating there are doing so bravely by confronting an interconnected world by looking forward, not backwards.

And no, seceding to Norway or implementing a Cuban model in Iceland aren’t brilliant alternatives(both heard from college educated people in the last few months).

Related posts:

  1. Why Not NAFTA?
  2. The End Of History
  3. Texting Away The EU Debate
  4. Proud And Participating or Defiantly Alone: Iceland’s Place In The World?
  5. A Message To Europe!
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