Robert Wheelersburg
Sweden joined NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to protect itself from its perpetual and primary enemy. To counter the current Russian threat following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Sweden evolved its security strategy of neutrality and territorial defense to one that supports alliance operations throughout the Nordic region. Some analysts suggest that to achieve that new strategy’s goals, Sweden needed to change public attitudes and traditions resulting from two centuries of military non-alignment to those that support the country’s role in multi-national operations. This essay’s hypothesis is that Sweden evolved from its Cold War message encouraging the population to survive an invasion and conduct a guerilla war against Russian occupation to today’s message that an alliance-based conflict is winnable if the Swedish military and civilian population fight without surrendering. To test that hypothesis, the author translated and compared Cold War Swedish armed forces and civil defense publications to those produced following application for NATO membership in 2022 to determine if there is an observable difference in messaging between the two periods. The results indicate that while Sweden is clearly on its path to integration into the NATO alliance, its security publications directed at the populace remain committed to total defense, emphasizing each person’s individual and collective responsibility in ensuring the country’s territorial integrity and the subjects’ collective security.
Marco Dordoni
This article contributes to understanding the strategic shift in NATO’s posture in the High North, denoting the European sector of the Arctic. Following the Cold War – during which the region held strategic relevance for the Alliance – NATO progressively deprioritized the area, redirecting its focus toward other geographic and thematic threats. This began to change during the 2010s, with Russia’s re-emergence as a central strategic concern from 2017 onward. The war in Ukraine in 2022 marked a watershed moment, making NATO’s increasingly securitized approach to the High North more explicit and subject to closer analysis (Østaghen, 2024; Bykova, 2024). Building on the argument that NATO has gradually re-positioned itself as a credible security actor in the region, this study investigates whether and how this shift has been accompanied by the development of a securitizing narrative disseminated through a particularly effective regional medium: Arctic conferences (Steinveg, 2023). By analyzing selected speeches delivered at these events and drawing on the theoretical frameworks of the Copenhagen School of Securitization (Buzan et al., 1998) and the Strategic Narrative approach (Miskimmon et al., 2013), the article examines the extent to which recurring terminology and framings have contributed to shaping and legitimizing NATO’s growing presence and activities in the region. The study explores the communicative effects of such discourse on policy outcomes, showing how NATO not only articulates threats in the Arctic but also actively shapes the conditions for strategic action through its persuasive and discursive practices. The article considers the broader implications of NATO’s expanding role and the spread of the securitizing narrative in the Arctic, questioning whether this increasingly confrontational dynamic, when combined with Russia’s assertive posture, has served to enhance stability or, conversely, to further destabilize the region (Boulègue, 2019). Furthermore, it raises questions about the scope of the conference space in fostering dialogue among Arctic states or enhancing division.
Christian Juncher Jørgensen, Christian Zdanowich, Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserov, Alexander Baklanov, Tuija Mononen, Yu Jia, Christian Frigaard Rasmussen, Hilkka Timonen, James King, Patrick L. Hayes, Christian Maurice and Outi Meinander.
Significant reserves of base metals and critical minerals such as rare earth elements vital for renewable energy, electronics and defense are present across the Arctic. As global demand rises, the region has become strategically important, exemplified by U.S. interest in Greenland. However, mining in the Arctic poses serious environmental risks, including erosion, biodiversity loss and contamination of soil and water. Emissions of mineral dust from open-pit mining is one of the major concerns as they have adverse effects on local communities and surrounding environments. Despite the potential impacts, dust emissions from Arctic mines remain poorly quantified and effective international guidelines for dust monitoring and dust mitigation are currently lacking. Addressing these shortcomings will be essential for responsible expansion of mining in the Arctic to minimize impacts on the environment. This paper reviews mining dust sources, potential adverse environmental effects, as well as relevant legislation and dust management practicesin Arctic mines and highlights key issues for future research to further improve the mitigation of negative environmental impacts by mineral dust caused by mining in the Arctic.
Anna Soer
The Arctic is again at the crux of global attention. While several regions globally are facing intensified interest for their natural resources, Greenland has similarly faced recent rising attention from regional Arctic actors, such as the United States of America, and globally, such as China. Greenland is appearing to be referred to as the 21st Century Kingmaker by some policy commentators. What does this Arctic century mean and for whom? The mining of minerals is rising to support a global energy transition and industrial needs, sparking geopolitical battles of influence and interests where global powers such as the US and China are entering in competition to secure these resources. While global attention is veering towards the mineral-rich Arctic, especially Greenland and Nunavut, some dynamics – such as the purchase proposal of Greenland made by President Trump – clash with regional dynamics of self-determination from state colonial powers. As the Nunavut Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement came into effect in January 2024, and as Greenland is continuing its course to secure independence from Denmark, regional self-governance is confronted by strategic imperial maneuvering by global powers. Global energy transition goals, as supported by the United Nations SDGs, while under the banner of sustainable development, thereby spark foundational discussions pertaining to “glocal” governance and human security in a decarbonized world. Echoing Saami critiques of green colonialism, this study aims to question the notion of peace and security through resource exploitation in Greenland and Nunavut as global powers seek to secure their interests in the region, sparking the Arctic Century. This study is supported by qualitative content analysis of policy documents, media articles, and interviews with key Greenlandic and Nunavummiut stake- and rights- holders conducted in 2024. The study contributes to the study of Arctic security through the development of Arctic decolonial ecological security shaping natural resources development in Nunavut and Greenland.
Tiziana Melchiorre
This article is an attempt to contribute to the understanding of geopolitical changes occurring in the Arctic, which is a reflection of the international order. In doing so, another contribution of this article is to discuss the geopolitical and economic interests of the US and Russia in the region to add food for thought on the current changes occurring in the international order through the analysis of the strategies that the two great powers adopt to pursue their geopolitical goals with a focus on the energy and critical minerals sectors. The analysis shows that cooperation between the US and Russia is possible in both sectors because the two states act as ‘rational egoists’, according to the neoliberal institutionalist thought. By cooperating, although their historical rivalry would not come to an end, both states would increase their geopolitical and economic power both regionally and internationally.
Michaela Coote & Yulia Zaika
Climate change in the Arctic is impacting people’s way of life through increasing current and potential vulnerabilities including food security and environmental hazards. As routines and lifestyles change accordingly, self-identity and routines can be affected, impacting people’s ontological security. Ontological security (OS) refers to the links between identity, routines, and security to include identity factors such as gender, culture, and other forms of belonging which presuppose an individual's ability to both feel safe and actively engage in security paradigms. The role of human capital in the Arctic cannot be overestimated. Inhabited by more than 4 million people including Indigenous and local populations, the Arctic is being threatened by accelerating climate and climate-induced environmental changes. As a result, the Arctic region is a crucial arena for ontological security. This article provides a review of the impact of climate change on the ontological security from a broad Arctic community perspective with a specific focus on identity, attachment to place, and routines. The article highlights that ontological insecurity is not always the impact of climate change; rather, in some cases, ontological security may emerge. Further, communities such as Indigenous Peoples, who have historically relied on subsistence living, may be most susceptible to climate induced ontological insecurity. The authors of this paper propose that the ontological security of Arctic communities should be maintained through strong infrastructure, support of culture and the environment, and region building exercises highlighting the region as a “zone of peace”. These mechanisms promote ontological cohesion by allowing communities to maintain poly-paradigmatic and volumetric identities in a way that supports social harmony and collective stability.
Designed & hosted by Arctic Portal