Ambassador of Norway Knut Vollebaek Norway, the International Citizen by John Shaw If the international community were to confer a good citizenship award each year, Norway would have more than its share of gold medals. Especially since the end of the Second World War, Norway has been widely regarded as one of a handful of countries that consistently acts with generosity and broad mindedness in international affairs. Year after year, Norway works conscientiously in the United Nations, contributes forces to peacekeeping missions, provides generous aid for development, adheres to the strictures of international law and works creatively to head off problems in far-flung corners of the world where it has no apparent interest. Knut Vollebaek, Norwayís ambassador to the United States, says his nationís exemplary conduct on the world stage is not the result of sheer altruism, but is based on a clear and coherent philosophy. In his office on Massachusetts Avenue, across from the Naval Observatory, Vollebaek says in an interview that Norwayís tradition of good deeds reflects its enlightened self-interest. For Norwa y, he says, global good citizenship is a sort of grand strategy in which his small nation can have weight and influence in a world often dominated by larger powers. "I think there is a certain virtue in being small. Of course we havenít chosen it, but there is no need to be ashamed. We have no colonial background. We have no hidden agenda. We are not dangerous. We are a small country that is willing to use our resources for good purposes," he says. "It doesnít mean that we donít need big countries. We need big countries when it comes to cracking the final deal. But maybe some of us small countries can contribute by preparing for the final triumph," he adds. Affable, urbane and engaging, the ambassador speaks openly about Norwayís accomplishments and the challenges it faces. The Scandinavian nation is slightly larger than New Mexico and has a population of about 4.5 million. Norway has more than 50,000 islands off its mainland and has about 13,000 miles of rugged coastline when its fjords are taken into account. Norway is strategically located adjacent to key sea lanes and air routes in the North Atlantic. Norway shares an intimate history with its fellow Scandinavian nations. It became part of the Danish kingdom in 1586. Then in 1814, it separated from Denmark and combined with Sweden. That union persisted until 1905 when Sweden recognized Norwegian independence. One of the worldís richest nations, Norway is an exporter of raw materials and semi-processed goods. Shipping and fisheries have been the traditional pillars of the Norwegian economy for centuries. In the 1970s, the Norwegian economy was transformed with the discovery and exploitation of enormous petroleum resources located on its continental shelf in the North Sea. Norway is Europeís largest oil exporter and one of the main suppliers of gas to Europe. It produces more than three million barrels of oil a day. Since hydropower provides nearly all of Norwayís electricity, virtually all of its gas and most of its oil is exported. It is currently the worldís third largest exporter of oil after Saudi Arabia and Russia. Norway sells more than half a million barrels per day in the United States alone. About one-third of the countryís export revenue is derived from the sale of oil and gas. Vollebaek says Norwayís prosperity has created largeóand perhaps unrealisticóexpectations from its citizens. "We are so rich, people in Norway wonder why we donít have a perfect education system and a perfect health system," he says. "We are privileged. There is no doubt. We have a very stable society. But we need to see how we can preserve stability and still be aware of problems with respect to economic discrepancies, justice and fairness," Vollebaek says. The ambassador says Norway is determined to take advantage of this era of prosperity to prepare for the future. With oil prices high, Norway achieved a budget surplus last year of almost 16 percent of gross domestic product. Norway has created a special national petroleum fund to give it a cushion for the time when its petroleum resources are less plentiful. Vollebaek says Norway must invest more of its wealth in high technology to build a cutting-edge 21st century economy. "We are lagging behind. We have to invest more in research and experimentation to have a more sophisticated technology-based economy," he says. "We have been, to a large extent, a raw material- based economy and thatís a problem. We are more vulnerable to the ups and downs of the world raw material market," he says. The ambassador says Norway has long held ambivalent views about its role in the outside world and has struggled with the competing impulses of isolation and engagement. "Maybe Norway is like a human being: We have conflicting tendencies," he says. The conflicting aspects of Norwayís stance to the world are best reflected in its history as a founding member of both the United Nations and NATO and its decision to remain outside the European Union. Two Norwegian governments, first in 1972 and then in 1994, advocated and pushed for membership in the EU, only to have these efforts rejected by the Norwegian people in referendums. Vollebaek says the popular impulse to remain outside of the EU is rooted in a "conglomeration of factors" that include Norwayís geography, history, psychology, sociology and demography. "We were part of NATO from the start because there was a perception that there was a threat out there. People realized NATO was something that was needed. They donít believe that membership in the EU now is something that is needed," he says. Vollebaek says that Norway gets most of the advantages of the EUís single market because of its participation in the European Economic Area. This arrangement began in 1994 and extends many aspects of the EUís single market to Norway, but it also requires implementation of EU directives and their adoption into Norwegian law. "People donít see any urge for EU membership. There doesnít seem to be a changed attitude in recent years," he says. "The downside [to staying outside the EU] is weíre not part of the political decision-making process. We are part of the decision shaping. But when it comes to the final decision making we have to step out of the room," he adds. Outside its immediate European neighborhood, Norway has a long tradition of involvement in international peacekeeping missions. Since 1947, it has participated in more than 30 peace operations and has provided more than 60,000 troops. It has been involved as a mediator or facilitator in peace and democracy efforts in Sudan, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Sudan, Colombia, the Great Lakes region of Africa, the Middle East, Balkans and the Philippines. Vollebaek says Norway is a strong proponent of conflict-prevention strategies and believes these should be higher on the global agenda. "We should be much better at preventive actions. That is the challenge for us as foreign policy actors and diplomats. You see very clearly that once a conflict emerges into a war there is very little you can do. Either you go to war or sit back until the tension eases down and you try to solve what is left. Itís important to move in before it turns to war," he says. "For all of us, itís in our long-term interest to have stability and prevent conflicts from emerging. To focus on these problems is fundamental if we want a stable world. It has to do with justice and stability. In a globalized world, instability in one part of the world affects us all," he adds. Norway has a long history of involvement with the United Nations, and its first secretary-general, Trygve Lie, was a Norwegian. Norway lobbied hard for and won a seat on the UNís Security Council for 2001 and 2002, and Vollebaek says his country wants to make a significant contribution. "With our tradition of strong commitments to human rights, to developmental cooperation, economic development in the third world and justice, we feel that maybe a small country like Norway can contribute by sitting on the UN Security Council," he says. "We want to try to be a fair member of the international community. We want to look at areas of crisis and see how we can, through the Security Council, move in and do things. We try to be very active," he says. Vollebaek, 55, represents Norway in Washington with s kill, energy and exuberance. A diplomat for nearly 30 years, Vollebaek says he began thinking about a career in diplomacy when he was 10 years old. At that time, he wrote to a Norwegian magazine seeking advice on how to become an ambassador. He still remembers the published response. "The reply said I should be a good boy, listen to my parents, study hardóand live for a long time. The point was that if I lived long enough I could become an ambassador," he says humorously. Vollebaek studied at Norwegian schools and received a masterís degree in economics from the Norwegian School of Economics and business administration in Bergen in 1972. He did post graduate study at the University of California at Santa Barbara and at universities in Paris and Madrid. He entered the Norwegian Foreign Service in 1973 and had a succession of increasingly important postings in India, Spain, and Zimbabwe. Based in Costa Rica from 1991 to 1993, he served as Norwayís ambassador to the Central American states. Vollebaek also held a number of important jobs in Oslo, several of which related to the United Nations. He was deputy co-chairman of the UNís International Conference on the former Yugoslavia in 1993 and rapporteur to the Anti-Apartheid Committee of the International Labor Organization in Geneva from 1988 to 1989. He was deputy foreign minister from 1989 to 1990 and then served as Norwayís foreign minister from 1997 to 2000. He recalls his foreign minister years vividly, saying the job was both "a dream and a nightmare." "As foreign minister, you can do what youíve been waiting to do for many years," he says, but adds his tenure coincided with difficult years in Europe. Serious unrest in the Balkans and NATOís 1999 war with Yugoslavia dominated his tenure as foreign minister. While serving as Norwayís foreign minister, Vollebaek was also chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 1999. In this post, he worked closely with NATO leaders, including then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, as the alliance decided to go to war with Serbia over its bloody repression of Kosovo. Vollebaek recalls his extensive dealings with Slobodan Milosevic, then the president of the Federal Republic of Yugolsavia, including a very direct and strained conversation on the day NATOís air war began. "I was involved, as chairman of the OSCE, with talks with President Milosevic so itís very strange to see him now at The Hague. He was the man who wanted to be at the top of everything. He was the main actor. And he was very much an actor," he adds. Vollebaek says he believes NATOís actions in Kosovo were appropriate but the decision to go to war was wrenching. "To be a foreign minister when a country goes to war is difficult. It was a very tough decision. I had never dreamed of being foreign minister of Norway and of course never dreamed I would be a foreign minister during a time of war," he says. Vollebaek arrived in Washington in March of this year, and he says he inherited a very strong bilateral relationship. Norway enjoys good ties to the United States on a wide range of trade, security and cultural issues. There are about 5 million American-Norwegians who help make the ambassadorís job easier. There is also a strong "friends of Norway" caucus in the U.S. House and Senate that comprises more than four dozen members of Congress. "When I came here I didnít want to do anything different. There is no need for it. We have a strong relationship with the United States in a number of areas," he says. "Being an ambassador in Washington, you have a large bilateral responsibility but also a large multilateral responsibility because of the U.S.ís unique role today in international relations and international politics," he says. He notes that the end of the Cold War has diminished the prominence of strategic ties that Norway had with the United States but says there are plenty of other issues to work on in Washington and in visits to the various states. "If I go someplace I try to make a comprehensive program. I do some trade, some culture, some Norwegian tradition and make it into a nice package," he says. Vollebaek says he is enjoying his stint as ambassador and is fully aware of how his current job differs from his previous one as foreign minister. "Itís very easy to describe the distinction between the two jobs," he says. "When you are a foreign minister you give instructions. When you are an ambassador you receive instructions." Vollebaek adds that a diplomatic career requires people to adjust to new jobs and responsibilities. "As a diplomat, you are used to playing different roles. If you canít take different roles you canít be a good diplomat. Sometimes you are the kingís representative and go to the very top and show the flag. Other times, you are the briefcase carrier. You have to be able to switch roles," he says. When time permits, the ambassador enjoys biking and reading books on history, biography, and literature. But he says his work is often a sort of recreation. "Being a diplomat is a combination of a hobby and work. In a sense, you are paid to have fun. But itís so encompassing, so absorbing, you donít develop a lot of outside interests," he says. One lesson Vollebaek has learned over the years is the importance of staying fully engaged in his current job. "The problem of many diplomats is they are always looking backward or they are looking ahead. They are never present where they are. They look back at the last post as the most glorious one or think about the next one. Itís very important to just be where you are. I try toóbut if my wife reads this she may have a good laugh," he adds. John Shaw is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.