The changing shape of security in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and its impacts on cooperation: the interrelationship between the environmental and military dimensions

Abstract

Since the renowned “zone of peace” speech pronounced by Gorbačëv in 1987, the concept of “exceptionalism” has become increasingly popular to describe the dynamics of international relations in the Arctic. From the end of the Cold War, cooperation has traditionally embraced areas of low politics – such as environmental protection – and resulted to be effective even in times of high-level politics worsening. However, while the geopolitical value of the Arctic is increasing, as a consequence of climate change and growing global interest, tensions involving hard security concerns and spill-over effects might endanger Arctic “exceptional” stability. The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the keen correlation between environmental and military aspects, as well as the relevance of their interdependence from the perspective of the Russian Federation, in order to overcome present challenges and establish fruitful cooperation in the European side of its Arctic Zone. In this respect, the case of the Svalbard archipelago and the evolution of Russian-Norwegian relations will be illustrated.