Editing History of Iceland (section)

===Cod Wars===
{{Further|Cod Wars}}
[[File:Scylla-Odinn.jpg|thumb|[[Icelandic Coast Guard]] and [[Royal Navy]] vessels clash in the North Atlantic.]]

The Cod Wars were a series of [[militarized interstate dispute]]s between Iceland and the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the mid-1970s. The Proto Cod War (1952–1956) revolved around Iceland's extension of its fishery limits from 3 to 4 nautical miles. The First Cod War (1958–1961) was fought over Iceland's extension from 4 to 12 nautical miles (7 to 22&nbsp;km). The Second Cod War (1972–1973) occurred when Iceland extended the limits to 50 miles (93&nbsp;km). The Third Cod War (1975–1976) was fought over Iceland's extension of its fishery limits to 200 miles (370&nbsp;km). Icelandic patrol ships and British trawlers clashed in all four Cod Wars. The Royal Navy was sent to the contested waters in the last three Cod Wars, leading to highly publicized clashes.<ref name=":8">"Now, the Cod Peace", ''Time'', 14 June 1976. p. 37</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite journal|last=Guðmundsson|first=Guðmundur J.|date=2006|title=The Cod and the Cold War|journal=Scandinavian Journal of History|volume=31|issue=2|pages=97–118|doi=10.1080/03468750600604184|s2cid=143956818|issn=0346-8755}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite journal|last=Steinsson|first=Sverrir|date=22 March 2016|title=The Cod Wars: a re-analysis|journal=European Security|volume=25|issue=2|pages=256–75|doi=10.1080/09662839.2016.1160376|s2cid=155242560|issn=0966-2839}}</ref>

During these disputes, Iceland threatened closure of the U.S. base at [[Keflavík]], and the withdrawal of its NATO membership. Due to [[Iceland in the Cold War|Iceland's strategic importance during the Cold War]], it was important for the U.S. and NATO to maintain the base on Icelandic soil and to keep Iceland as a member of NATO. While the Icelandic government did follow through on its threat to break off diplomatic relations with the UK during the Third Cod War, it never went through on its threats to close the U.S. base or to withdraw from NATO.<ref name=":8"/><ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10" />

It is rare for militarized interstate disputes of this magnitude and intensity to occur between two democracies with as close economic, cultural, and institutional ties as Iceland and the UK.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|last=Steinsson|first=Sverrir|title=Neoclassical Realism in the North Atlantic: Explaining Behaviors and Outcomes in the Cod Wars|journal=Foreign Policy Analysis|volume=13|issue=3|page=599|doi=10.1093/fpa/orw062|year=2017}}</ref>