ABSTRACT
Makko’s chapter compares the policies of neutral Sweden and the NATO member state Norway in the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) and the making of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act. The CSCE brought together most European states, the United States and Canada in a several-year multilateral conference setting where daily negotiations, limited attention from the broader public and the absence of official minutes of meetings created a particular environment that allowed for greater leeway for smaller states. The chapter demonstrates that Norway’s membership in an alliance helped the country stretch its margins of manoeuvre and allowed it to push the issue of human contacts and confidence-building measures together with other Western countries. Sweden on the other hand was limited by concerns about its relationship with the Soviet Union and its lack of allies. Therefore, the Swedes remained cautious and stayed away from controversial issues and focused on status quo and more traditional objectives.
