Russia invited to Iceland’s airbase

[frigidmagi]

DAMN YOU ICELAND!

[quote]In an official lunch with foreign diplomats, Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson shocked neighboring Nordic countries with inviting Russia to take use of the strategically important airbase.

Foreign diplomats hardly believed what they heard when the Icelandic president said that his country needs “new friendsâ€

[Mayabird]

Iceland's worse than broke and there's that former U.S. military base on their territory that NATO could rent if its members get spooked enough by the spectre of the Sovi-I mean, Russia. That's the gist of it, right?


Not really relevant, but "Olafur Ragnar Grimsson" is a very cool name.

[LadyTevar]

Iceland's worse than broke and there's that former U.S. military base on their territory that NATO could rent if its members get spooked enough by the spectre of the Sovi-I mean, Russia. That's the gist of it, right?

Yep... that sounds about right.

Not really relevant, but "Olafur Ragnar Grimsson" is a very cool name.

Olafur Ragnar, second son of Grim

That's why there's two 's' in the last name. Iceland still does the old Viking Patrinomics: instead of having one family name (ie "Smith" "Jones"), each generation is known literally as (father's first name)-son or -dottar. Thus, Olafur's sister wouldn't be a Grimsson, she'd be Grimsdottar.

Somewhere I bet I could find the meanings behind Olafur and Ragnar....

[The Minx]

Iceland's president is little more than a figurehead. The real political power is held by the government, which requires a majority in parliament to retain its position, like in many European countries. This is really little different from Prince Philip saying whatever in the UK (although granted, the current president has been attempting to expand the powers of the office).

[General Havoc]

That name is not as awesome as Magnus van Magnusson