BCS 100 Module 10: Geopolitics, Security and International Society

The aim of this module is twofold: first to give an overview and basic information on geopolitics, security, international relations - particularly international cooperation - and the recent key changes as they pertain to the circumpolar North; and second, interrelations between the circumpolar North and international society, and how the region is seen in world politics. The module describes the main categories of international actors (of the international system), and those of the circumpolar North, with their multi-functional interests at the early-21st century. The module also briefly presents how geopolitics has been present and is implemented in the circumpolar North. Next, the module presents the main paradigms and discourses on security and security studies, and how they are presented and implemented in the circumpolar North. The module also describes both the main features of the Cold War geopolitics and international politics, and the main themes, or trends, of circumpolar geopolitics and international relations, particularly different categories and levels of international cooperation in the post-Cold War period. Similarly, the module describes and discusses the role of the circumpolar North and the possibilities to influence world politics and international society. Finally, the module describes and analyzes the recent multi-functional changes of circumpolar geopolitics, and ecognizes what might be interpreted to be key indicators of the changing geopolitics of the early-21st century’s North

The Barents Region, a society with shared security concerns in the Arctic

Peer reviewe

Arctic Policies and Strategies – Analysis, Synthesis, and Trends

The scientific report Arctic Policies and Strategies – Analysis, Synthesis and Trends delivers a holistic analysis of the policies, strategies, and declarations of the relevant Arctic stakeholders. It also includes new and/or emerging trends of Arctic governance and geopolitics in the early 21st century. The analysis, using quantitative and qualitative methods, is based on a coding of the text of 56 policy documents (in 1996-2019), namely: i) the strategies and policies of the Arctic States and the Arctic Council Observer States; ii) the policies and declarations of the Arctic Indigenous peoples’ organizations (Permanent Participants); and iii) the main Arctic Council chairmanship programs and ministerial declarations. It considers how different Arctic actors define and address issues around the following: the human dimension, governance, international cooperation, environmental protection, pollution, climate change, security, safety, economy, tourism, infrastructure, and science & education. Each document was read and analyzed thoroughly; quotes were selected and coded and then used to compare and contrast (percentage- wise) how the different documents address the above issues. For each category of stakeholder, the findings are compared within the category and then discussed with each other category-wise. Our study shows that the most-coded quotes of the Arctic States’ policy documents relate to the Governance, Economy, International Cooperation, and Human Dimension indicators, as well as to a new Environmental Protection indicator (composed of Environmental Protection coupled with Pollution and Climate Change). The policy documents of the four Indigenous peoples’ organizations explicitly address issues surrounding Indigenous rights, although in different contexts, and also those related to the Governance indicator, both broadly and in detail. Unsurprisingly, all these documents emphasize the importance of ‘Traditional knowledge.’ The most-quoted indicator in the Arctic policies/strategies of the nine Arctic Council Observer states is the Science and Education indicator, followed by the International Cooperation and Economy indicators. The fourth most-quoted is the new Environmental Protection indicator (composed of Environmental Protection coupled with Pollution and Climate Change)

Arctic Yearbook 2015 -- Arctic Governance and Governing

Preface - Arctic Governance Fran Ulmer “The most important thing for people to know about the governance of the Arctic is that we have a chance now to act to maintain the integrity of the system or to lose it. To lose it means that we will dismember the vital systems that make the Arctic work. It's not just a cost to the people who live there. It's a cost to all people everywhere.” -Sylvia Earle Governance is “the processes of interaction and decision-making among the actors involved in a collective problem that lead to the creation, reinforcement, or reproduction of social norms and institutions.”2 In short, it’s the effort to make good decisions for society