ABSTRACT
In this and the remaining chapters I will attempt to apply the theoretical framework set out in the first part of this book. It will be a two-by-two structure, with primary institutions and binding forces being analysed in turn in the three time periods 1815–1919, 1919–89 and 1989–2010. It should be clear at this stage that the main idea is to make a case for Nordic regional differentiation within international society, and secondly, to test my hypotheses regarding binding forces, namely that Norden is a deviant case on the count that it, compared to other regional international societies (see chapter 4), has relied on a different mix of binding forces, with belief playing a key role, and that this started to change with the expansion to the Baltic States in the aftermath of the Cold War.
