International Relations in the Arctic

Norway and the Struggle for Power in the New North

Leif Christian Jensen

• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN:
  9781784532130
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780857728807
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: International Economics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

As the ice around the Arctic landmass recedes progressively further each year, the territory has become a flashpoint in world affairs. New and lucrative trade routes from East to West are now becoming accessible for shipping lanes and military deployment, and the Arctic is known to be home to large gas and oil reserves. Yet the territorial boundaries of the region remain ill-defined. In response to these geographical changes the Scandinavian countries, especially Denmark and Norway, have begun staking large proprietary claims in the face of pressure from the major powers – Russia, Canada, the US and China – for the trade routes to be designated as International Waters. Here, Norwegian scholar Leif Christian Jensen shows how Norway has undergone a positional shift after declaring its assertive position on the Arctic in 2005. Its disputes with Russia have created a new foreign policy dilemma, and a new set of 'red-lines' in Norwegian policy. Is Norway, as it would like to be seen, an environmentally friendly, peaceful, 'enlightened' nation? Or does this geopolitical shift in world affairs necessitate a new and more aggressive Scandinavia? International Relations in the Arctic makes a timely contribution to the 'turn to the North' in International Relations and Political Science.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Maps
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. Discourse Analysis in Theory and Practice
• 2. Norway in the New North: An Empirical Background to the Case Study
• 3. A Discourse Analysis of Arctic Policy Debates: The Case of Norway
• 4. Official Norwegian and Russian Foreign Policy Discourses on the New North
• 5. Strategic Resources in the New North: Using Russia to Look Good
• 6. Security and Insecurity in the New North
• 7. The Discursive Power Struggle to Own the Truth in the New North: Introducing Discourse Co-optation as an Analytical Phenomenon
• 8. Foreign Policy and National Identity: Norway and the Othering of Russia
• Conclusion
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Back cover