Arctic Governance ─ Law and Politics

The Polar North is known to be home to large gas and oil reserves and its position holds significant trading and military advantages, yet the territorial boundaries of the region remain ill-defined. In the 21st century the Arctic continent is undergoing profound change. As the sea ice melts, a result of accelerating climate change, global governance has become vital.

In this first of three volumes, the latest research and analysis from the world’s leading Arctic research body - the Fridtjof Nansen Institute - is brought together for the first time. Arctic Governance: Law and Power investigates the political contexts and international tensions surrounding the actions of nation states, focusing especially on the disputes which have emerged where European, American and Russian interests compete directly. Skillfully delineating policy in the region, and analyzing the legal and political consequences of treaty agreements, Arctic Governance will become an indispensable handbook to contemporary International Relations concerning the Polar North.

Geir Honneland is Research Director at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute – one of the world’s leading Arctic research bodies - and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the Arctic University in Tromso, Norway. He has published widely in English on territory disputes and environmental factors in the Polar North. He gained his PhD from the University of Oslo in 2000 and is one of the most respected commentators in the field of Arctic Studies. Ida Folkestad Soltvedt is Researcher in Polar Law at the Fridtjdof Nansen Institute.Svein Vigeland Rottem is Director of the Polar Research Programme at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. He received his PhD in Arctic Political Science from the Arctic University at Tromso.