Commercial Whaling In Iceland

Therefore, the assorted governmental institutions that characterize the states of Iceland, Norway, and Denmark exemplify the differing political sectors of each country despite the states’ considerably interwoven histories, and ultimately portray how the countries’ respective governments influence their policies and participation in the environmentally controversial practice of commercial whaling.

I. The Kingdom of Norway’s constitutional monarchy, which adopted its constitution in 1814 (“Norway”) demonstrates several unique governmental and characteristics that pervade the state’s executive, legislature, and judicial branches, all of which contribute to Norway’s continued involvement in its historical commercial whaling practice.

A. Norwegian

Historical

a. Iceland permitted Norway to construct whaling bases in Iceland in 1883

(“History of Whaling”).

1. After practically exhausting the Icelandic whale stocks, Norway transferred its whaling operations to the Arctic circle: a move that proved to be incredibly lucrative. 2. The Icelandic whale populations had been nearly decimated by Norway’s whaling activities, and “by 1915, about 17,000 whales had been slaughtered”

(“History of Whaling”), thus prompting a national ban on whaling in

Norwegian whaling in Iceland, though that statute was repealed “in 1928, when it was believed that the populations had recovered” (“History of

Whaling”).

ii. Modern continuance

a. Following the implementation of the International Whaling Commission’s moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982, Norway filed a complaint in opposition to the moratorium, thus allowing Norwegian commercial whaling to persist under the guise of “scientific whaling.”

II. The Kingdom of Denmark’s constitutional monarchy, which adopted its constitution in 1953 (“Denmark”) employs a similar monarch and Prime Minister coexistence to Norway, though Denmark’s separation of powers differs starkly from that of its Scandinavian counterparts and from Europe as a

2. Hereditary position

b. Head of government: Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen

1. Supervises the Danish cabinet

2. Any power to be exercised by the Prime Minister must first be bestowed upon them by the Danish monarch.

3. Maintains power persistently unless dismissed by the executive branch ii. Legislative

a. Denmark’s legislature consists of the unicameral People’s Assembly, otherwise known as the Folketing

1. The Folketing consists of 179 seats, including 4 seats for Greenland and the

Faroe Islands (“Legislative Branch”).

2. Members of the Folketing are directly elected in “multi-seat constituencies by [a] proportional representation vote” (“Legislative Branch”).

3. Folketing members serve four-year-terms “unless the Folketing is dissolved earlier” (“Legislative Branch”).

b. The Folketing is currently dominated by The Social Democratic Party of

Denmark, The Danish People’s Party, and The Left parties. iii. Judicial

a. Denmark’s highest court is the Supreme Court

1. Court President

2. Eighteen judges (“Judicial Branch”)

b. Danish judges are “appointed by the monarch upon the recommendation of the

Minister of Justice with the advice of the Judicial Appointments