The High North is attracting increasingly international attention, particularly in the context of growing great-power competition. HIGHNORTH aims to foster a more informed and knowledge-based conversation of security and geopolitical developments in the Arctic, with a particular focus on the High North.
International developments have placed the Arctic on the security agenda, both nationally and internationally. Thus, the region’s importance is receiving increasing attention in academia, politics, and the public sphere.
For Norway, the High North is central to security and defense policy, and the growing geopolitical focus on the region is affecting both state priorities and local communities. At the same time, different policy areas, levels of analysis, and actors are often conflated when discussing “Arctic security” in broad terms, which can make it difficult to gain a clear understanding of the actual security challenges facing the region.
The main purpose of HIGHNORTH is to contribute to a more informed and knowledge-based discussion of security and geopolitical conditions in the Arctic, with particular attention to Norway and the High North.
Project period:
The project runs from 2026–2028.
