Norway’s Foreign Altruism Brings Charges of Isolationism

Not since the Vikings marauded across Europe more than a millennium ago have the people of Norway wielded so much influence on peace and security in the world.

From the “Oslo channel” that produced a 1993 breakthrough in the Middle East to the Guatemala cease-fire three years later, Norwegians lately have played the role of mild-mannered mediators in some of the world’s most intractable conflicts.

Most who are involved in the booming business of diplomacy chalk up Norway’s successes to long-standing traditions of Christian charity and a commitment to sharing natural wealth. Along with neighboring Denmark, oil-rich Norway contributes more foreign aid per capita than any other country.

But as Norway continues to batten down its hatches against a swelling tide of immigrants, some see its generosity as a tithing to protect ethnic homogeneity and blissful isolation.

Hans Geelmuyden, co-founder of a suburban Oslo think tank that analyzes Nordic economic and political trends, says it is admirable that Norway contributes nearly 1% of its gross domestic product to foreign aid each year--a share far above the 0.23% average for developed countries.

But the analyst sees the largess as a preemptive move to avoid a flow of migrants from poor nations.

“We pretend generosity, but another aspect is our immigration policies,” complains Geelmuyden, noting that Norway needs labor but is loath to import it. “To make our conscience rest easier, we pay our way out.”

The minister for international development and human rights, Hilde Frafjord Johnson, vehemently disputes that the aid is a hedge against immigration.

“Our motives are altruistic. International solidarity is a long tradition in Norway,” says Johnson, contending that there is no link between the more than $1.25 billion in annual aid and the meager 5% of the population that consists of immigrants, asylum-seekers and refugees.

“That Norway needs foreign workers is one of our arguments in dealing with immigration policy,” Johnson says, vowing to topple barriers to immigration in this country of only 4.4 million.

Most of the 200,000 foreigners here come from countries where living standards are lower than in Norway but considerably higher than in the countries that are the chief recipients of Oslo’s aid, adds Foreign Ministry spokesman Hans Jacob Frydenlund.

Johnson worked for years on humanitarian relief with Norwegian Church Aid in Africa, where she developed contacts on all sides of the Sudan conflict. That experience brought her to the attention of the government here, which tapped her as a mediator in ongoing talks about that strife-torn country.

Norway has no standing foreign mediation team and relies instead on diplomats and relief workers with the right skills for each undertaking. Former Foreign Minister Thorvald Stoltenberg was seconded to the United Nations in the mid-1990s for Balkans mediation because he speaks Serbo-Croatian. Trade official Terje Larsen was named U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process because of his experience as a researcher in the region, Johnson says.

Being outside the 15-nation European Union is an advantage in shaping foreign aid policy, Johnson says, noting that Norway can pick and choose its priorities instead of being bound by alliance partners to “put money into black holes.”

That said, diplomats and development strategists worry that the demands of the world easily exceed the human and financial resources of this small country.

Norwegians are proud of being seen as effective peace brokers, but requests to take on new mediating roles have to be weighed against Oslo’s expertise as well as its means, says Johnson, who is wary of the recent decision to supervise Sri Lankan peace talks.

She chides political leaders in other developed countries for shirking their responsibility as citizens of the world and accuses many of selling short their constituents’ will to make the world better.

“Politicians think people are selfish, but they’re wrong,” says the young Cabinet official. “In my experience, if you provide people with a human face of the tragedy that they can relate to, you’ll never hear no for an answer.”

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Williams was recently on assignment in Norway.