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Elina Kastepohja, MA, doctoral student, associate member
The economic interests of two NATO countries in collision: The Westminster Parliament and the Anglo-Icelandic Cod Wars, 1971-1976
In this project, I will concentrate on the British decision-making process and political debate in the Anglo-Icelandic Cod Wars. The Cod Wars arose out of economic rivalry between British and Icelandic fishermen, but they escalated into violent conflicts that had an impact on British domestic and foreign policy. I examine the Cod Wars in the period 1971–1976, when the most serious conflicts occurred and Iceland broke off diplomatic relations with Britain. My aim is to find out how the trade unions and other interest groups did affect to the government’s policy in the Cod Wars and how their opinions were represented in parliamentary debates. I also study the political argumentation and confidence of the MPs developing during different phases of the conflict. The Cod Wars were seen as an unpopular conflict with a small ally of Britain in the context of the Cold War, as Britain and Iceland were both members of NATO. My target is to analyze how international and public opinion in Britain affected to the parliamentary debates.
As primary sources for my study, I will use British parliamentary debates by British Hansard as well as British documents of the several government departments and newspapers. The relevant parliamentary debates will be analysed in the context of Government documents and press writings. The analysis will employ the methods of political history and the study of international relations.
Elina Kastepohja
Contact me via email:
elina . kastepohja _at_ jyu.fi