Russia: Norway’s Best Frenemy

Norway’s policy towards Russia has so far been guided by three ideas—reassurance, engagement and deterrence. This approach has been determined by four structural factors. The first is the geographical proximity—the two countries share a 198 km long border in the High North. The second is the obvious disparity of potentials—in territorial terms Norway is a mid-size, European country with 5.4 million inhabitants, while Russia’s territory stretches over 10 time zones and its population is almost 30 times bigger than Norway’s. The third is historical experience shaping perception of Russia. Russia is viewed as both an important regional partner with whom one needs to work together in addressing common challenges and a possible source of strategic threat to Norway. Fourth and finally, the economic relationship is also influenced by the fact that both countries are important energy producers and exporters, which puts some limits on their trade, despite the geographical proximity. While the first two factors are undeniable facts, the next two may change, although they have proved to be relatively stable. In the following chapter we will reflect over current trends in both the political and economic relationships between the two countries as well as the perceptions of Russia among Norwegians.