Relates the different theories about the Soviet Union's increasing naval interest in arctic waters. Discusses the security implications for the northern flank of NATO, especially for Norway.

The Russians in the Arctic (1958) examines Soviet attitudes towards the Arctic, its exploration and opening for exploitation, and the impact of Soviet rule and policies on the peoples native to the vast Siberian wilderness.

The Soviet Union maintains that its territorial waters, including those in the Arctic, extend 12 n mi from its coastline. It has also declared a 'sector claim' which Soviet jurists have unofficially interpreted to mean that the USSR also claims the airspace above the sector as well as the ice islands, the ice pack, and the waters between the Arctic Basin islands and between the islands and the mainland. These claims may become troublesome with the advent of surface-effect vehicles and submarine transports that will permit regular Arctic navigation. (Author Modified Abstract).

The Soviet Arctic is the first book to consider Soviet policy in this area from an historian's point of view. Horensma assesses the importance of historic legacies to current Soviet Arctic policy and their consequences on an international level. The book also discusses the significance of historic precedents in the determination of polar sovereignty.

This collection of 17 papers on the Soviet North includes exploration, sea ice, petroleum resources, the Northern Sea Route and commercial shipping, strategic, defence and sovereignty issues, international cooperation and Soviet policies in the Arctic and Antarctic. Includes appendices of policy announcements and decrees, international agreements and participation in international arrangements.