The Nordic States

The chapter on the Nordic States—Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden—begins by outlining key aspects of domestic as well as international history that have had significant impact on the region’s predominantly positive attitude towards international law. Despite certain differences among them—due in part to geopolitical interests—the Nordics have a long-standing tradition of extensive cooperation on important questions of international law, including the nomination of common candidates to positions in core international institutions like the ICJ, the ICC, and the ILC. With the examples of international security law and human rights, the chapter illustrates the active approach of the Nordic States in international law-making when it comes to legal regimes of general importance from a governmental perspective. The chapter then discusses historic and current Nordic trends in international legal scholarship, including Scandinavian legal realism. By way of conclusion, the authors reflect on the notion of ‘a Nordic approach to international law’.

Geography · Political science · European and International Law Studies