ABSTRACT
Norway and Denmark are two small, rich, democratic, Nordic founder members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The world outlook of the leaders of these countries has been similar in the postwar period, and their security problems have often be seen in tandem. It might be a fair assumption, then, that the two states would approach the prospect of participation in the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in a similar manner. However, this has not necessarily been the case. Because of the intermix of geo-strategic differences and domestic political factors, Danish and Norwegian policy makers have not always seen eye-to-eye on foreign and security matters, though these differences were often overwhelmed by similarities. Developments in European security since 1989 have, if anything, helped to open up the divisions between the two main Nordic members. Their response to the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy has been shaped by Danish founder membership of the European Union (EU) and the failed Norwegian attempt to join the Union by 1995. However, the two states’ previous foreign and security policies have also affected their approach to the CFSP, as has the new external environment faced by the countries.
