The Baltic road to freedom - Iceland's role

Why did faraway Iceland take the initiative in soliciting support for the Baltic nations¿ struggle to restore their independence? Were Western leaders at the time ready to sacrifice those nations¿ aspirations for freedom in order to keep Mr. Gorbachev in power as a partner in ending the Cold War? Why are small nations often more successful than the bigger ones in enhancing the quality of life of their citizens? Those are big questions demanding straight answers. The author of this collection of essays, Mr. Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson ¿ Iceland¿s former Minister for Foreign Affairs ¿ confronts those issues head on, drawing on his long experience as a leading politician of a small nation.