The chapter discusses the evolvement of contemporary Norwegian High North policies, with particular emphasis on the first decade of the twenty-first century. These policies consist of layers from different time periods, ranging from the Cold War with its East-West tensions, to the immediate post-Cold War years when new institutional partnerships were established between Norway and Russia in the High North, and the years from around 2005, characterized by functional and geographical dispersion. Norwegian public discourse on the Arctic has reflected the transition from one phase to another. Above all, we ask why the mounting fatigue that surrounded the institutional collaboration with Russia in the early 2000s transform into a new euphoria towards the end of the decade.