The Arctic is a harsh geography that has historically been misconceived as a large ice mass, ignoring the complex strategic salience of the region. Its cold waters and frozen lands have attracted the attention of people for many years and have been the centre of discoveries and adventures. Today, however, the strategic importance of the Arctic has gone beyond discoveries and adventures. Factors, such as environmental erosion, climate change, and national or regional security complicate geopolitical dynamics in the region. This book begins by delving into the issues that have led Arctic countries to reorient their foreign policies. The geopolitical structure of the Arctic, the expansion of NATO, the emergence of new energy reserves, and the impact of climate change on the Arctic are some of the factors directly affecting the region. Then, within the framework of these influences, the policies of the eight Arctic countries are re-assessed from the perspective of international relations. This volume not only emphasises the geopolitical and strategic importance of the Arctic region, but also discusses conflicts of interest, international cooperation efforts, and possible future scenarios. The Arctic is not just a geography, but also an important part of global politics and security. This book is a guide to understanding the complex and dynamic nature of the Arctic region. CONTENTS PREFACE SECTION I: IDENTIFYING SIGNIFICANT RISKS IN THE ARCTIC CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION TO ARCTIC GEOPOLITICS. - Ferdi Güçyetmez CHAPTER 2. WHAT THE ARCTIC MEANS TO NATO.. - Alina Bykova CHAPTER 3. ENERGY IN THE ARCTIC: COMPLEXITY AND THINKING IN A SOCIAL DYNAMICAL SYSTEM... - Anna Soer CHAPTER 4. IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE ARCTIC.. - Rabia Kalfaoğlu SECTION II: COUNTRY-LEVEL ANALYSES CHAPTER 1. UNITED STATES ARCTIC POLICY FROM WHITE HILLS TO BLUE WATERS. - Aslıhan Genç CHAPTER 2. THE CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS INSIDE THE CIRCUMPOLAR NORTH.. - Jackson Walling CHAPTER 3. THE POLICIES OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION TOWARDS THE ARCTIC REGION - Ebru Caymaz CHAPTER 4. POLICIES OF FINLAND TOWARDS THE ARCTIC REGION.. - Yeliz Albayrak CHAPTER 5. THINKING THE ARCTIC IN SWEDISH GEOPOLITICS: POLICIES AND PRACTICES - Emre Sipahioğlu CHAPTER 6. NORWAY’S ARCTIC POLICIES. - Allison G. Kondrat CHAPTER 7. ICELAND’S ARCTIC POLICIES. - Jared R. Dmello and Bianca Acosta CHAPTER 8. POLICIES OF DENMARK TOWARDS THE ARCTIC REGION.. - Veysel Babahanoğlu and Elif Miray Yazıcı CONCLUSION

The Arctic is an increasingly important region faced with major challenges caused not only by the effects of climate change, but also by a growing interest in its living and non-living resources, its attraction as a new destination for tourism, and as a route for navigation. It is not only the eight Arctic States that have paid an increased level of attention to the region; several non-Arctic actors from Asia and Europe also seek to gain more influence in the High North. At the same time, the evolving law and policy architecture for the Arctic region has recently played a more prominent role in the political and academic debate. Unlike Antarctica, where the coherent Antarctic Treaty System governs international cooperation, the legal regime of Arctic affairs is based on public international law, domestic law, and 'soft law'. These three pillars intersect and interact making Arctic governance multi-faceted and highly complex. This book provides an analytical introduction, a chronology of legally relevant events, and a selection of essential materials covering a wide range of issues-eg delineation and delimitation of maritime boundaries, environmental protection, indigenous peoples' rights, shipping, and fisheries. Included are multilateral and bilateral treaties, UN documents, official statements, informal instruments, domestic laws, and diplomatic correspondence.

In the book Chinese Policy and Presence in the Arctic, Koivurova and Kopra (eds.) offer a comprehensive account of China's diplomatic, economic, environmental, scientific and strategic presence in the Arctic region and its influence on the future of the region

Increased global interest in the Arctic poses challenges to contemporary international relations and many questions surround exactly why and how Arctic countries are asserting their influence and claims over their northern reaches and why and how non-Arctic states are turning their attention to the region. Despite the inescapable reality in the growth of interest in the Arctic, relatively little analysis on the international relations aspects of such interest has been done. Traditionally, international relations studies are focused on particular aspects of Arctic relations, but to date there has been no comprehensive effort to explain the region as a whole. Literature on Arctic politics is mostly dedicated to issues such as development, the environment and climate change, or indigenous populations. International relations, traditionally interested in national and international security, has been mostly silent in its engagement with Arctic politics. Essential concepts such as security, sovereignty, institutions, and norms are all key aspects of what is transpiring in the Arctic, and deserve to be explained in order to better comprehend exactly why the Arctic is of such interest. The sheer number of states and organizations currently involved in Arctic international relations make the region a prime case study for scholars, policymakers and interested observers. In this first systematic study of Arctic international relations, Robert W. Murray and Anita Dey Nuttall have brought together a group of the world's leading experts in Arctic affairs to demonstrate the multifaceted and essential nature of circumpolar politics. This book is core reading for political scientists, historians, anthropologists, geographers and any other observer interested in the politics of the Arctic region.

The Arctic, long described as the world’s last frontier, is quickly becoming our first frontier—the front line in a world of more diffuse power, sharper geopolitical competition, and deepening interdependencies between people and nature. A space of often-bitter cold, the Arctic is the fastest-warming place on earth. It is humanity’s canary in the coal mine—an early warning sign of the world’s climate crisis. The Arctic “regime” has pioneered many innovative means of governance among often-contentious state and non-state actors. Instead of being the “last white dot on the map,” the Arctic is where the contours of our rapidly evolving world may first be glimpsed. In this book, scholars and practitioners—from Anchorage to Moscow, from Nuuk to Hong Kong—explore the huge political, legal, social, economic, geostrategic and environmental challenges confronting the Arctic regime, and what this means for the future of world order.

Climate change and rising oil prices have thrust the Arctic to the top of the foreign policy agenda and raised difficult issues of sovereignty, security and environmental protection. Improved access for shipping and resource development is leading to new international rules on safety, pollution prevention and emergency response. Around the Arctic, maritime boundary disputes are being negotiated and resolved, and new international institutions, such as the Arctic Council, are mediating deep-rooted tensions between Russia and NATO and between nation states and indigenous peoples. International Law and the Arctic explains these developments and reveals a strong trend towards international cooperation and law-making. It thus contradicts the widespread misconception that the Arctic is an unregulated zone of potential conflict.

The Polar North is known to be home to large gas and oil reserves and its position holds significant trading and military advantages, yet the maritime boundaries of the region remain ill-defined. In the twenty-first century the Arctic is undergoing profound change. As the sea ice melts, a result of accelerating climate change, global governance has become vital. In this, the third of three volumes, the latest research and analysis from the world's leading Arctic research body - the Fridtjof Nansen Institute - is brought together for the first time. Arctic Governance: Norway, Russia and Asia investigates the foreign policy discourses of Arctic governance, specifically as regarding international relations and competing interests between Norway, Russia and various Asian states.