The Nordic Countries from War to Cold War – and Today1

Abstract

History is much present for the British and Nordic peoples, which means it can also be controversial and instrumentalized. Documents like the new FCO collection help to remind us that the past was truly in some ways ‘another country’. In the early post-war years, for example, before collective nuclear deterrence, there was huge uncertainty both over the scale of Communist advances and the viability of Western defence. The Nordic defence pact alternative thus deserved serious thought, but the reasons for its ultimate sidelining carry lessons still relevant today about the limits and functionality of Nordic cooperation. Interestingly, Britain seemed (and seems?) driven to repeatedly seek more from the latter than it can deliver. While close, British–Nordic relations were and remain prone to misapprehension and ruffled sensitivities caused inter alia by different ‘mental maps’ and group-building instincts. The documents underline the perennial role of Ambassadors in attempting to translate Nordic realities to London, albeit with a constant risk of being over-frustrated or over-charmed by one's hosts.