ABSTRACT
Norwegian whaling policy has been one of the few areas where Norway has been at odds with all its traditional allies. Over the last two decades Norway has insisted on continuing to hunt whales commercially despite the international ban on the practice. Thereby the whaling issue stands out as a rare case in Norway's traditionally peaceful but also ambitious broker role on the international environmental scene. Domestically, however, all key actors have rallied in support of the official Norwegian whaling policy. By first tracing the background of whaling, this chapter seeks to explore why Norway has taken such a strong stance on the whaling case, despite international pressure. It looks into the degree to which Norway has attained its goals at both international and domestic levels. The chapter argues that a high level political strategy is the main reason that all major domestic players rallied behind the position to resume whaling.
