From Nordic Peacekeeper to NATO Peacemaker: Denmark's Journey from Semi-neutral to Super Ally

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Abstract

Danish foreign policy is characterized by a strong and diversified military engagement. From 1990 to 2018, Danish political decision-makers committed Danish troops to 76 military operations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa compared to 13 operations during the Cold War from 1945 to 1989. In the essay, we argue that Denmark’s military activism since the end of the Cold War has combined shelter seeking with status seeking to the extent that the two now exist in symbiosis. Shelter seeking is conditioned upon status seeking, and status seeking is an instrument for shelter seeking. Thus, the essay offers lessons for small states in both practice and theory.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSmall States and the New Security Environment
EditorsAnne-Marie Brady, Baldur Thorhallsson
Number of pages15
Place of PublicationSwitzerland
PublisherSpringer
Publication date2021
Pages103-117
ISBN (Print)9783030515287
ISBN (Electronic)9783030515294
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Keywords

  • Faculty of Humanities
  • Faculty of Social Sciences

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