What Role Did Norway Really Play in The Oslo Process?
A Case Study in Small-State Mediation
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Abstract
How can ‘small’ and politically peripheral states have a significant impact on issues dominated by big states? For example, how did Norway come to play such an important role in fostering negotiations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the early 1990s? This article seeks to answer these questions by analyzing Norway's relationship with Israel and the PLO from 1948 until 1993, as well as Norway's role during the negotiations that led to the signing of the first Oslo Accord. Seen through the theoretical framework of small-state mediation, Norway's lack of influence might have helped convince the parties to open dialogue, but it also implied an inability to provide a level playing field for just negotiations.
Contributor Notes
FRIDE LIA STENSLAND from Oslo, Norway, graduated with a double MA in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Bologna (Italy), where she specialized in Middle Eastern Studies and conflict resolution. Her master's thesis, looking at Norway's contribution to the first Oslo Accord, was awarded Johns Hopkins’ C. Grove Haines Prize for best thesis of her class. She currently works in the development sector in the MENA region and has several years of professional experience from Palestine and Lebanon. E-mail: fride.stensland@gmail.com