This book addresses key questions on contemporary Arctic geopolitics: How do Arctic states view security from a geopolitical perspective? What conditions could re-stabilize Arctic cooperation? What forces have shaped current Arctic dynamics? And what choices could foster future collaboration, innovation, and sustainability in the region?
This book addresses four key questions about contemporary Arctic geopolitics: How do Arctic states view security from a geopolitical perspective? What conditions could re-stabilize Arctic cooperation? What forces have shaped current Arctic dynamics? And what choices could foster future collaboration, innovation, and sustainability in the region? Geopolitical contestation resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine has significantly impacted cooperation between Arctic states. The suspension of the Arctic Council under Russia's chairmanship, Finland and Sweden's NATO accession, limited progress under Norway's chairship, increasing militarization in Russian and Nordic Arctic territories, expanding military exercises, and governance challenges under Denmark's new chairship represent the new realities of Arctic geopolitics. Environmental and climate threats emanating from the Arctic, once the primary concern for regional and global states, have been overshadowed by traditional hard security considerations. Consequently, the Arctic's strategic importance has grown exponentially while trust between East and West has deteriorated. Military threat perceptions between the Arctic Seven NATO members and Russia now stand at unprecedented levels. This edited volume presents diverse perspectives on how Arctic states are reassessing existing and future governance and security mechanisms in the region.
This book will appeal to scholars and students of international relations, security studies, Arctic studies, and geopolitics, as well as policymakers, diplomats, and anyone interested in contemporary Arctic governance, climate security, and great power competition in polar regions.
The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Strategic Analysis.
Introduction
1. Divided Arctic in a Divided World Order
2. Hot Stakes in
the Arctic: Global Rivalries and New Geopolitical Forces
3. Russias
Geopolitical Position in the Arctic: Whats New?
4. Great Power Competition
in the Arctic and the Role of India
5. Understanding Russias Arctic Security
Strategies
6. US-Russia Arctic Cooperation: Strategic Ebbs and Flows
7. The
European Union and Arctic Security: First Steps Towards a New Paradigm?
8.
Dynamics of Nordic-Asia Relations Post Finland and Swedens Accession to NATO
9. Situating the Local Level in Arctic Politics: How Can It Engage in Arctic
Governance, and How Is It Affected by Arctic Geopolitics?
10. Using the ATCM
Model for Regulation of Scientific Research in Svalbard
11. Environmental
Security is Must vis-a-vis Military Security, Not a Substitution
12. The
Environmental Agenda for the Arctic: A Russian Perspective
13. Critical Raw
Materials: Interests of China and the European Union in the Arctic
Uttam Kumar Sinha is Senior Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. He specializes in water security, environmental geopolitics, and strategic studies with particular focus on South Asian regional dynamics. Dr. Sinha has authored several books and research papers on transboundary water issues, climate security, and India's strategic environment, contributing significantly to policy discourse on water diplomacy.
Andreas Østhagen is Research Director Arctic & Ocean Politics at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI), Norway, specializing in Arctic geopolitics, maritime security, and international law. His research focuses on territorial disputes, resource management, and security dynamics in polar regions. Dr. Østhagen has published extensively on Arctic governance, Svalbard politics, and maritime boundary issues, contributing to academic and policy discussions on High North security and international cooperation in the Arctic.
