The Arctic and the North Atlantic: From Cooperation to Conflict?
In Great Power Competition in the Atlantic. Atlantic Center, 2023, pp. 83-100.
In Great Power Competition in the Atlantic. Atlantic Center, 2023, pp. 83-100.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 marked a turning point in relations between the West and Russia, with potential implications for the Arctic. However, there is still hope that Arctic security relations can remain relatively unaffected by the conflict in Ukraine, despite increasing tensions in the region. These tensions have been fuelled by Russia's aggressive statements, Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO, and concerns about hybrid operations in the North. This chapter takes a look at the different political dynamics when it comes to state and military security in the Arctic, and how they have evolved since the beginning of 2022. It relies on a conceptual separation of the so-called levels of analysis in international affairs, and uses Norway as a case study to explore the 8national9 level, to provide a deeper understanding of Arctic security and geopolitics going forward. Finally, it highlights that these concerns extend beyond the Arctic and have implications for the broader Euro-Atlantic maritime domain.