ABSTRACT
The Nordic region is in many ways exceptional, although it no longer stands out as sharply as previously as a much heralded economic and social paragon. The notion of convergence between the Nordic states and the rest of Europe after the end of the Cold War can also be seen in writings on Nordic security. Since 1815, the area has been the 'quiet corner of Europe' not solely through lack of strategic interest. Strategic position has to a great extent determined the set of opportunities for the Nordic decision-makers, but this has not left them totally without choice. The division of the offshore domain in the 1970s led to a number of resource-based disputes in the northern seas that pitted one Nordic state against another. The decision-makers are constrained by international events, but they are also the products of the prevailing culture within the Nordic societies.
