Second Try
Here is a second try on Scandinavia I have changed the name (FN) and toned them down just a tad. But I am sticking by them being an independent space power. Call it simply a desire to make the space race slightly more competitive.
Geon
P.S. Note that I can't go back and change any of the earlier entries at this time due to a time limit on editing on the board. Michel please make sure this is considered the "official" entry for the FS (formerly the GNU) on the Wiki. Thanks for all your help and healthy criticism, all of you!
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Federation of Scandinavia (FS):
Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden all shared several things in common by the end of World War II. All of them had been dragged into the war against their will either by being invaded by one of the warring powers or their own rights to the free use of the seas had been violated by one of those powers (i.e. Arctic Dream). Further during the war the Nordic nations had received minimal help from the Allies even though the fighting had been just as brutal in Norway as it had been anywhere else in Europe. Further, after the chemical attack on Oslo the Allies had pushed for an invasion of Denmark which would have devastated that nation as well as Norway. The Nordic nations felt they had been used by the powers on both sides of this conflict and decided a united front was needed. Thus, the Federation of Scandinavia was born.
The FS began early on during the war when the Nordic powers of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland refused the Allies permission to invade Denmark through Norway. The threat to withdraw from the alliance and the fact that the Allies took that threat seriously convinced the leaders of these respective nations that there was strength in unity.
Thus, in 1947 the Treaty of Oslo was signed by representatives from Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. The treaty created a joint defense force from the armed forces of all four nations. It guaranteed the sovereignty of each nation but also made it clear that an attack on one nation by any foreign power was an attack on all. In addition the Treaty of Oslo laid the foundations of an unlimited free trade zone between the various Scandinavian nations. In 1952 Iceland petitioned to join the FS and its petition was quickly accepted. Iceland too was tired of being a pawn of the larger powers.
By 1960 the FS boasted one of the best trained standing armies in Europe. Its soldiers were, not surprisingly, among the best “Mountain” soldiers in the world. In addition the FS’s navy is among the worlds most up-to-date. This is one of several reasons the Soviet Union never seriously contemplated another war in Europe. The FS controlled access with its navies to both the North Sea and the Arctic Sea and an invasion of the FS nations would have seriously taxed Soviet forces.
However, the FS’s actions have also been directed to the West from time to time. In 1980 the Iceland Fishing Crisis erupted between Great Britain’s fishing fleets and the Icelandic fishing fleets over fishing territories. In some cases fishing vessels from the respective countries started to be escorted by naval vessels when both sides resorted to ramming each others fishing boats. In one case this resulted in fatalities when a British fishing vessel rammed an Icelandic one causing it to sink in rough seas. Six of those on board the Icelandic vessel drowned or died of hypothermia before the others were rescued by both Icelandic and British fleets. The British apologized and offered compensation for the incident. Nevertheless there was tension between the FS and Britain for several months thereafter. Eventually the United Nations was able to negotiate a treaty which clearly set fishing boundaries for both Iceland and Great Britain.
In addition to its conventional forces the FS also has a small but potent nuclear force. In 1982 the FS tested its first nuclear bomb in an underground test on an island off the northern Norwegian coast. Today while the official number of nuclear warheads controlled by the FS is unknown it is estimated that they have between 100 and 200 such weapons ready to use via aircraft or their “Viking’s Hammer,” Medium range ballistic missiles stationed in Sweden and Finland.
Economically the FS is one of the great economic success stories of post-war Europe. Rebuilding quickly from the war the FS has become one of the premier exporters of raw materials such as iron ore, manganese, and other materials. The FS has a higher standard of living then most of Western Europe with the exception of France and England today. In 1993 the FS converted to the NordiKroner, a united currency that would be used in the FS. The NordiKroner is now considered one of the most stable currencies on Earth.
In science and technology the FS has also excelled. In 2010 scientists in Stockholm made a major breakthrough in fusion technology which may well bring about practical and usable fusion reactors in the next 15 to 20 years.
The FS also became the fourth great power to launch a human being into space in 2000 when Phoenix 1 orbited the Earth with two FS astronauts aboard. In 2009 a FS spacecraft – Phoenix IV docked with the ISS and the FS has announced plans for a manned lunar landing in 2025.
