ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the political and economic evolution of northern Europe. Active foreign policy engagement in world affairs—including the development of the theory of "bridge building" between the superpowers—is but one example of the diplomacy practiced by northern Europe. The important point, however, is that the Nordic region always has been a separate and distinct part of Europe. The decision to join the Alliance thus eliminated the historical vision of northern Europe as an integral, yet separate, region of Europe. An East-West balance of power in Europe, along with rough parity between the superpowers, is considered by most analysts to be "the completely decisive precondition that must exist if the regional Nordic balance is to work." The United States' proposal in 1957 that intermediate range ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads be deployed in Europe touched off a new debate among Norwegians over whether Norway should accept nuclear weapons.
