Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.06.2003, Qupperneq 11

- the reykjavik grapevine -10 may 15 - may 29, 2003
fighter jets home, but the Icelandic
government insisted on at least four
of these being retained. Agreement
on this was reached in 1994.
With the War on Terror, American
attention is increasingly being diverted
to other areas, and there is yet again
pressure to downsize the base in
Keflavik. Negotiations are currently
under way. Both governments have
been unwilling to divulge details, but
it seems the US wants to recall all its
remaining fighters and helicopters.
It does, however, want to retain its
submarine surveillance equipment,
even though they have stated, with
Russia now being a friend, that there
are no hostile submarines to be found
in the oceans of the North Atlantic.
For 36 years from the return of the
Army in 1951, the airfield functioned
both as an international airport and
a military base. It wasn’t until 1987
that the two were separated. The
US Navy still pays for the clearing
of the runway, a considerable task
in Icelandic winters, and for the
rescue teams which are constantly on
standby, although these are manned
by Icelanders.
Our host took us for a drive along
the military runway, and showed
us the fleet of snowploughs used
for keeping the strip in functioning
condition. Our photographer went
out to take a picture, and before we
knew it two military police cars with
flashing sirens drove up to us, armed
guards stepping out to demand
authorisation. Our host showed
them his ID, and pointed out that he
was driving a Navy vehicle, and that
as a public relations officer he did
this frequently. They did not seem
altogether convinced, but let us off on
condition that we speak to the office in
charge of the airfield. This done and
things sorted out, we continued our
trip. Our next stop was a shopping
centre which has among other things
a supermarket, a Subway, and a
barbershop. The currency is US
dollars, and all prices are at, or often
below, the US average.
Today, around 1900 military
personnel, along with 2000 family
members, live in Keflavik. They
usually stay from a week and up to
18 months, but 2-3 years if they bring
their families along. The base is more
or less a self sufficient community,
with its own church, film theatre and
recreation centres. Inhabitants of the
base are rarely seen outside it. Until
1990, leave for single soldiers was
restricted, as this would no doubt lead
to trouble with the locals, whereas
soldiers who had families could leave
the base as the wished during time
off. Today, no such restrictions apply,
and soldiers can go where they please
during their spare time. Despite this
they seem to prefer to spend most
of their time on base, and when they
leave it, they mostly stick together
as a group and frequent the same
two bars in Keflavik, where locals
rarely go. Occasionally, one hears of
friction between locals and soldiers.
A boxer from Keflavik, known as Skúli
Tyson, famously said before a match
with an American that where he came
from, beating up Americans was a
tradition, and that this match would
be no exception. I spoke to a girl at
a diner just outside the base, and she
maintained that fights between locals
and Americans were no more frequent
than between the locals themselves.
She did, however, mention that girls
would either date a succession of
Americans or Icelanders, and would
rarely switch between the two groups.
This seems like a curious throwback
to wartime attitudes. She also said
that one of the benefits of dating
an American was that, in a small
community (population of Keflavik
and surroundings: roughly 8.000),
the guys from the base were the
only ones who didn’t know virtually
everything about her beforehand.
Sometimes off duty soldiers
have gotten into trouble. In the late
80´s a group of drunken Americans
went about Reykjavik stealing every
flag they could get a hold of, some
of them from embassies. American
soldiers in Iceland fall under Icelandic
jurisdiction, and a local court let them
off with a warning. More seriously,
on the 1st of June a fight broke out
between Icelanders and Americans,
which resulted in one Icelander
being stabbed. But perhaps the
most surprising thing about these
incidents is their rarity. Soldiers are
rarely visible, and almost never wear
uniforms off base.
Is the Base Necessary Today?
The presence of the US Army has
caused great divisions within Icelandic
politics. Parties farthest to the left
and the right have not been able to
work together in government since
the Keflavik Agreement of 1946. The
Defence agreement with the United
States stipulates that either party
can be released from the agreement,
in a process that would take 18
months. Left wing governments
have twice started this process, once
in 1956 when it was stopped after
the Soviet invasion of Hungary, and
again in 1973, but in that instance
the government collapsed and
the succeeding one cancelled the
formers actions. During the Cold
War Iceland held all the cards, since
the base was considered essential
to the defence of the continental
United States, and the Americans
largely had to agree to the terms
set by the Icelandic government.
Two Icelandic companies held a
monopoly in construction for the
base, but this was changed in
1996, so that now companies have
to compete for military contracts.
Ironically, since the collapse of the
Soviet Union the situation has been
reversed. Now the Americans want
to diminish their presence, either
keep it to a bare minimum or even
leave entirely, whereas the Icelandic
government wants them to stay on. It
is interesting to note that Iceland was
the only one of the Nordic countries
that was part of the coalition of the
willing in the 2003 Iraq War.
Having spoken to public affairs
officer Friðþór Eydal, it seems four
main reasons can be found for
wanting to keep the base as it is.
1: The defence aspect.
Neutrality was seriously discredited
in World War Two as the German
Army rolled over one neutral country
after another. Since then many have
believed that countries that can not
defend themselves militarily cannot be
guaranteed continued independence,
and so the best course of action is
to seek protection from a greater
power.
2: The employment aspect.
The US military employs some
1700 people directly and the base
is the 13th largest town in Reykjavik.
Even more people in the southern
tip of Iceland get their income from
the base indirectly. A considerable
number of people would probably
become unemployed, at least initially,
if the Americans were to leave.
3: The United States pays for
most of the maintenance of Keflavik
airport. These would have to be
taken over by Iceland at considerable
cost.
4: The Navy base has 5
helicopters, supported by a refuelling
plane for search and rescue missions.
These have saved some 300 lives in
the past 30 years. These operations
would also have to be taken over by
Iceland, which at present only has
two helicopters of its own for such
purposes.
Given that these are the
arguments in favour of the base,
what are the arguments, held by a
large number of people, against?
We asked Stefán Pálsson, chairman
of the Campaign Against Military
Bases, which has been active since
1972, and succeeded other peace
movements.
Stefán claims firstly that the
Icelandic government has completely
failed to point out who these enemies
that we are to be protected from are,
and that even US authorities admit
that there is no foreseeable danger.
Hence he claims that the Icelandic
authorities’ insistence on the security
aspect is mostly to camouflage the
economic one, as wanting to have
a foreign army here for the sole
purpose of making money of it can
not be admitted. He also claims that
the presence of the base is more
likely to make Iceland into a target
for terrorism, and hence makes the
situation less rather than more safe
for the country.
Regarding the economic factors,
he says that those who oppose the
base maintain that it is immoral to
profit from armies, so even if it leads
to financial losses the base should be
abandoned. He also says that as the
American presence is diminishing,
efforts should be made to revive
the economy of Keflavik rather than
try to keep the army here as long as
possible, and that Keflavik has often
been left out of discussions on rural
renewal, since it was assumed they
could live off the army. He claims
that without military restrictions,
the international airport could be
expanded and made more profitable.
He concedes that the Americans have
saved a number of lives, which has
been a benefit of the base, but he
also claims that their presence has
kept Icelanders from developing such
services of their own. He admits that
if the Americans left it would lead to
considerable financial expenditure,
but because of this it is important
to start preparing for this as soon as
possible.
As for Iceland’s future, he says
that Iceland should follow Costa
Rica’s example, and become a neutral
and demilitarised state.
We handed in our passes, the
gate opened, and we returned to
Icelandic territory. The US Naval base
in Iceland was established 52 years
ago. At that time war raged on the
Korean peninsula, Stalin dominated
the Soviet Union, Japan was still
under American occupation, and
NATO and Soviet forces faced each
other across minefields across the
heartland of Europe. Since then, the
Soviet Union has collapsed, Germany
has been reunified, America’s
predominant military interests have
shifted to the Middle East, and War
on Terror has been declared. Would
the American base still be there in
another 50 years, I wondered, as it
disappeared in the back window.
- the reykjavik grapevine - 11may 15 - may 29, 2003
Is Iceland a part of America or Europe?
Geographically, the answer is that it’s both. The dividing line be-
tween the North-American and European plates runs right through
Iceland, which is the cause of its volcanic activity, frequent earth-
quakes and hot springs. Reykjavik is thus on the North American
plate. Politically, the border between North America and Europe
has usually been considered to be the sea between Iceland and
Greenland. Around 1940 some questioned this and references
were made to the “Leifline” between Iceland and North America
(named after Leif Eriksson, the Viking who discovered America
in the year 1000). The Icelandic-American Vilhjálmur Stefánsson
wrote a book called Iceland: The First American Republic, and
it was debated in some quarters whether the Monroe Doctrine
(which stated that the United States would not intervene in Euro-
pean affairs, only American ones) was applicable to Iceland. In
any case US troops came to Iceland in the summer of 1941 when
the United States was still neutral, and this was not considered a
violation of the doctrine. US senator Bernhard W. Gearhart even
suggested in a speech in 1945 that Iceland be invited to become
the 49th state of the USA. Today, Iceland is a member of NATO
but not of the European Union. However, despite a fondness for
cars, fast food and right wing governments, there is little doubt
that culturally, linguistically and not least of all psychologically Ice-
land is a member of the Nordic family of nations and of Europe.
A boxer from Keflavik famously said before a
match with an American that where he came
from, beating up Americans was a tradition.