Question for our Scandinavian members

bulldogg

bulldogg

Milforum's Bouncer
Through some of the reading I have been doing I have come across some interesting numbers. It seems given the size of the countries of Scandinavia and Norway in particular, both in terms of population and GDP, they GIVE a lot both privately and publicly to efforts aimed at maintaining peace. All of the numbers from various sources all bear this out so I accept it as fact.

My questions is WHY? What is the motivating force, or thought, behind this? Is it rooted in the memories of WWII as Norway and Denmark suffered brutally at the hands of the Third Reich very early on while the rest of the world sat idly by and watched?

I'm really curious about this and can't find anything anywhere to answer this question.
 
I have twisted my mind on this question for a while now but there are no good answer for it.

Some is rooted in the five long years of German occupation during the Second World War, some reasons can be found within the UN system and the systematic work we have performed there since 1945, but perhaps the most interesting reason for our participation in UN, NATO and other Humanitarian operations is that just about every native Norwegian knows one or more UN or NATO veterans, and want to follow their tracks abroad - combined with one big portion of seeking adventure and foreign cultures.

It is just the way we are, perhaps we are "just nice people" as major liability put it. :)
 
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Good people doing good things, you can find this everywhere if you look hard enough. Perhaps this should be more of the focus of main stream media, showing the good side of society showing the people that bust their balls to help another human. Nah that would never sell ads and people wouldnt watch it.
 
Sunb! has a good point. We´re descent folk with good solid values and a lust to aid:viking:
According to our population we send more soldiers to stick it to terrorism than most other countries.. it may seem little, but hey, compared to the US we only add up to the city of New York..... just a thought.. We give much because we can, but not nearly as moch as we could have been...

The unenployment rate in scandinavia is actually very low considering our population. This is not a racist remark; but all the emigration to Norway, and scandinavia drag the statistics down since most of the people that come here have a hard time intergrating themselves to our community..

Scandinavia for the win!
 
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Not to be a dink but by people and comparisons do you mean the government spending...

Because that is very much different then the public donations and I do recall that the US out does everyone on a public donation level since by some silly world laws governments are only allowed to give out a certain amount...

Regardless good people as much as anyone else can be...
 
Look at the chart highlighting aid as a percentage of GNI...
#1 Norway
#2 Sweden
#3 Luxembourg
#4 Netherlands
#5 Denmark
#9 Finland

So in terms of raw dollars the US outgives the world but what I am after here is that in terms of how much they have to offer the Scandinavian countries are on top and I am curious as to the sociological reasons for it.

http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp#Privatedonationsandphilanthropy
http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp#ForeignAidNumbersinChartsandGraphs
 
The key for your question Bulldogg, is our efford to try to reduce the gap between the rich and pour countries, to be an effective and helpful partner for the many development countries and last but not the least to secure our interests abroad and overseas by being a thrustworthy and reliable member of the UN.

As well it could be of your interest to have a look at the previous 50 to 60 years of our political platform and the elements of democratic socialism that in the long term has created the society we live in and the way we think concerning participation in the UN, NATO, EU (Norway being part member by various common agreements) and so on. You may call it "The Permanent Florence Nightingale Syndrome".
 
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