From Peace Dove to Hawk: Norway’s participation in international military operations after the Cold War

Abstract

This thesis is an analysis of Norway's participation in international military operations after the Cold War. The main aim is to investigate whether there has been a development in the Norwegian use of force under international auspices, by examining the cases of Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. The theoretical framework applied to the analysis is the two-level games of Robert Putnam (1998), in order to answer the following research questions: 1) why did Norway decide to join (or not join) the operation, and 2) why did Norway contribute in the way it did? The findings of the study suggest that there is a new orientation among Norwegian politicians regarding the use of force, through which they will use it increasingly.