The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.2000, Side 26

Vol. 55 #4
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
324
the young Icelandic republic, born towards
the end of the great war, has successfully
secured its independence and security.
A 20th Century success story
Iceland’s economic performance in the
latter half of the 20th century is by any stan-
dards a success story. There seems to be no
reason to write off the Icelandic national
experiment in “sustainable development” yet.
Despite our continuing dependence on fish,
largely beyond our control; despite relatively
small foreign direct investment and slow
progress in utilizing other resources, such as
our abundant hydroelectric and geothermal
energy resources, Icelanders have nonetheless
succeeded in maintaining themselves in the
international top-league by most accounts.
The per capita GDP was last year the 5th
highest in the world. In a recent UN survey
Iceland was rated number 5 globally as a
country with the “best overall living condi-
tions.” In terms of economic performance
(rate of growth, low inflation, balanced bud-
gets, indebtedness, low unemployment and
cost of capital) Iceland is one of the few
European countries which easily fulfills all
the so-called Maastricht criteria for joining
the European Union. - This fact, paradoxical-
ly, also explains why the present government
sees no reason whatsoever to apply for mem-
bership in that exclusive club. Iceland has
managed to secure for herself tariff-free
access to the E.U. inner market, without hav-
ing to submit to the obligations of member-
ship. So our present leaders think very much
in terms of having achieved the best of both
possible worlds: Retaining economic sover-
eignty while enjoying free access to the
Trans-Atlantic marketplace with impunity.
A cause for celebration
At the end of the second World War,
Europe was physically in ruins, mentally
exhausted and threatened by internal discord
and external aggression. The swift rebuilding
of Europe from the ruins of war is one of the
great achievements of this century, which oth-
erwise will receive mixed obituaries. Let us
not forget that NATO was founded in the
aftermath of holocaust and war, by the sur-
vivors of war - to prevent war. The founding
members of NATO had learned the lessons of
history the hard way. And for half a century
this most successful defensive alliance in his-
tory kept the peace by collectively deterring
war. It was NATO’s strength that preserved
the peace and made prosperity possible, by
turning the reconciliation of old foes into a
practical necessity.
This is therefore an appropriate time and
place to pay tribute to the great post-war lead-
ers, president Truman, his Secretary of State,
Dean Acheson, General Marshall and many
others, who by their wise and farsighted deci-
sions laid the foundation for the unprecedent-
ed and uninterrupted stretch of peace and
prosperity, we have since enjoyed on both
sides of the Atlantic. America’s role in win-
ning the war and building the peace, not the
least by the founding of NATO and by insti-
gating and implementing the Marshall plan,
should never be forgotten by the descendants
of those, who since then have reaped the ben-
efits.
But these great achievements are not
merely a cause for celebration. They are also
lessons to be learned and applied for the
future. One of the lessons is this one:
Although he second World War came to an
end in Western-Europe in 1945, for Central-
and Eastern Europe, D-Day did not arrive
until November 9, 1989 - the day the Berlin
wall - that hated symbol of the division of
Europe - was finally being torn down.
A lot has happened since that fateful day
more than a decade ago. Subjugated nations
have become free; the Warsaw-pact is a thing
of the past; and the once mighty Soviet Union
does not exist any longer. But the legacy of
war, colonial subjugation, totalitarian terror
and economic and ecological mismanage-
ment, has left deep scars that need time to be
healed.
The common goal of at least 12 Central
and East European nations, formerly occupied
by the Soviet Union, is to be allowed to exer-
cise their sovereign right to rejoin the
European family of nations, through their
common security structure in NATO and
through economic integration within the
European Union. They do not want to be left
out once again in a “grey zone;” in a political
and economic no-man’s land or a political