Is a state’s strategic interest simply the sum total of political
and economic expediency? In the case of Iceland becoming a state in the E.U.,
the suspension by the Icelandic government of talks that began after Iceland’s
banking sector took a major hit in 2008 may have been a political means of countering the “tough competition” from parties
that have been skeptical about the sovereign state joining the Union. With
parliamentary elections coming up, the parties in the government did not want
to be found wanting on the unpopular side of a major question.
The complete essay is at Essays on Two Federal Empires.
