Kaldastríðsöld

Kaldastríðsöld, meaning "Cold War Era" in Icelandic, refers to the period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc, following World War II. This era, broadly spanning from the late 1940s to the early 1990s, was characterized by a global rivalry that manifested in proxy wars, an arms race, and ideological competition without direct large-scale fighting between the two superpowers.

During Kaldastríðsöld, Iceland maintained a complex position. While not a direct participant in the major military confrontations, its strategic location in the North Atlantic made it a crucial site for military installations. The United States established a significant military presence in Iceland, most notably at Keflavík Naval Air Station, which played a vital role in monitoring Soviet submarine activity and enforcing the Greenland-Keflavík-United Kingdom Gap.

This presence was a source of ongoing debate within Iceland, with significant portions of the population and political spectrum expressing opposition to foreign military bases. Protests and demonstrations against the bases were a recurring feature of Icelandic politics during Kaldastríðsöld. Despite these internal divisions, Iceland officially remained a member of NATO, aligning itself with the Western Bloc, though it maintained a policy of not having its own standing army. The end of Kaldastríðsöld, marked by the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, led to the eventual closure of the Keflavík base in 2006.