Saga - 2019, Page 144

í tilfelli Íslands. Þannig vildu Bandaríkjamenn tryggja óbreytt ástand
í samskiptum Íslands og Bandaríkjanna enda var það forgangsmál
í utanríkisstefnu Reagan-stjórnarinnar að styrkja hern aðar stöðu sína
á Norður-Atlantshafi. Markmiðið var að reyna að semja við Sovét -
menn með því að sýna styrk sinn sem mestan. Þetta leiddi til sam -
þykktar milliríkjasamnings sem er einstakur í sögu Íslands og Banda -
ríkjanna.
Abstract
arnór gunnar gunnarsson
THE RAINBOW NAVIGATION DISPUTE
In March 1984, Rainbow Navigation, a small US company made headlines in
Iceland when it took over the transportation of cargo for the US military base at
Keflavík. The company took advantage of the 1904 Cargo Preference Act, accord-
ing to which the US military should always use US flag vessels to carry cargo if
there are any available. This provoked much anger in Iceland since two Icelandic
companies, Icelandic Steamships (Eimskip) and Ocean Ships (Hafskip), had car-
ried such cargo between 1968 and 1984 because of a lack of interest from US com-
panies. Icelandic officials tried almost immediately to contact their US counter -
parts in an effort to regain the transportation for the Icelandic companies. Initially,
the US was slow to respond, but when the Reagan Administration realised how
seriously the Icelandic government took the issue, they did indeed try to return
the transportation to the Icelandic companies. After some initial struggles, the
countries agreed to a special bilateral treaty, ratified by the US Senate and the
Icelandic parliament, where they shared the transportation between companies
of both countries.
In this article, it is argued that the Rainbow Navigation issue demonstrates
the importance of the Keflavík military base in the eyes of the United States due
to its strategic location in the North Atlantic during the resumption of Cold War
hostilities in the 1980s. The role of the companies, particularly on the Ice landic
side, is emphasised and their effect on foreign policy analysed. It is also main-
tained that the Reykjavík Summit meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev, and
the world media’s sudden interest in Iceland because of that meeting, led to a
quick Senate ratification of the bilateral treaty between Iceland and the United
States regarding the dispute. The controversy is placed within the broader context
of the Cold War, in general, and the history of US-Icelandic relations, in parti cular.
arnór gunnar gunnarsson142
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