New research project on law and geopolitics in areas beyond national jurisdiction
The Fridtjof Nansen Institute has launched the new research project FrontierLaw. Legal scholars and political scientists from Norway and international partner institutions will examine how areas without a single governing authority are managed, from the High Seas and the Central Arctic Ocean to Antarctica and outer space.
Project launch at Polhøgda
The project FrontierLaw (Law & Geopolitics: Governing Frontier Spaces Through Soft Law?) was launched with a full-day workshop at Polhøgda on 17 April, led by FNI Senior Research Fellow Svein Vigeland Rottem and Research Director Andreas Østhagen, who opened the day by outlining the main ambitions of the project.
‘Areas beyond national jurisdiction are becoming increasingly important in international politics. At the same time, they are difficult to govern, because there is no single authority in charge’, says Østhagen.
Areas without a single authority
FrontierLaw focuses on four domains where no single state has overarching authority: the High Seas, outer space, Antarctica and the Central Arctic Ocean.
These are areas of growing economic and strategic interest, driven by technological developments and new opportunities for resource use. At the same time, they are characterised by complex governance arrangements and increasing geopolitical rivalry.
‘We look at how legal frameworks actually work in practice in these areas, especially as geopolitical tensions increase’, says Østhagen.
How are areas beyond state control governed?
The project examines how international law, political agreements, scientific cooperation and various forms of non-binding norms and guidelines interact in such settings.
Through four work packages and eight case studies, the researchers will analyse issues ranging from the regulation of seabed minerals and the implementation of new ocean governance agreements, to developments in outer space and governance in Antarctica and the Arctic.
Across disciplines and countries
The project is led by Andreas Østhagen and brings together legal scholars and political scientists from FNI and a range of international partners, including the University of Oslo, the University of British Columbia, the University of Canterbury, Harvard University and the National University of Singapore.
‘The project brings together legal scholars and political scientists around the same questions across different domains. This makes it possible to compare how governance works in practice’, says Rottem.
‘The workshop was an important starting point. Now the work begins on developing the case studies and identifying patterns across the different domains’, he says.
Studying law under pressure
FrontierLaw will run for four years and examine how legal frameworks function under increasing political and economic pressure.
The aim is to generate knowledge about how international governance works in practice, and what this means for cooperation and conflict in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway under the call for Legal Research, with a budget of NOK 11.9 million (approximately €1 million) for the period 2026–2029.
