The long lines in Norwegian foreign policy

In the years 1995-97 the six-volume History of Norwegian Foreign Policy was published. The article is not a standard review article; rather it present s some long lines in Norwegian foreign policy as they emerge more or less c learly throughout the six volumes. The emphasis is on two such lines: the i mportance of Norway's geographic position, a relatively constant factor, an d the level of ambition in Norwegian foreign policy, a highly changing fact or. The article uses geography to help explain the close relationship with Brit ain and the difficult one with Russia/the Soviet Union, the mixture of coop eration and conflict with Denmark and Sweden, the distance to European inte gration, and the direction of Norwegian expansion. In the early Middle Ages Norwegian foreign policy was highly ambitious and quite expansionist. From 1319 to 1905 Norway lived in various forms of infe rior relationships with Denmark and Sweden. After 1905 Norwegian foreign po licy had obvious isolationist features, but starting in the late 1930s and growing rapidly in the post-war years this policy became remarkably ambitio us for such a small country. In conclusion the author argues that the defin ing characteristic of modern Norwegian foreign policy is the combination of high ambitions, particularly outside of Europe, and a determination to lim it foreign influence on Norway.