Iceland must prove it merits allies’ defence support

Iceland must show it is prepared to contribute to collective security if it expects allies to defend it, Kristinn Árni Lár Hróbjartsson, co-founder and director of the national security think tank Vörður, told mbl.is.

Hróbjartsson, a guest on Dagmál, said Iceland’s small size and lack of a military did not exempt it from contributing to shared security. “You have to show that you deserve the other countries sending their young people to you if they need to defend you,” he said.

He said other Nordic countries had sharply increased defence spending and support for Ukraine, while Iceland had not done so to the same extent.

“We cannot just sit by as some kind of chocolate in world politics or international affairs. We need to step up and contribute,” Hróbjartsson said.