When discussing Norway and the Arctic, it is important to distinguish between the mainland (the three northern counties) and the Svalbard archipelago, while at the same time recognizing that the latter is a part of the Kingdom of Norway. Norway was granted sovereignty over the Svalbard archipelago with the Svalbard Treaty, signed in 1920 in Paris. The Treaty gives nationals from the signatories the right to live and work on the islands, and places some limitations on Norway’s ability to tax and use Svalbard for military purposes. There are diverging views with regards to the Treaty’s applicability to the 200 nautical mile maritime zone surrounding the archipelago, which is currently a Fisheries Protection Zone.
Norway’s renewed engagement in Arctic affairs can be traced back to the then foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre’s choice to emphasize the High North (in a Norwegian context) and the Arctic (internationally) in 2005 when the new “red-green” government took office. When Russia planted a flag on the seabed at the North Pole in 2006, the eyes of the world turned north. Støre made use of the opportunity to prioritize regional development domestically, and multilateral cooperation (Arctic Council and Barents Euro Arctic Council) internationally. The government coalition he belonged to has since been criticized for failing to deliver on their grand Arctic policy statements, although regional northern development has taken priority and Norway maintains that the High North is the ‘number one’ foreign policy priority.
When Russia planted a flag on the seabed at the North Pole in 2006, the eyes of the world turned north. Støre made use of the opportunity to prioritize regional development domestically, and multilateral cooperation (Arctic Council and Barents Euro Arctic Council) internationally. The government coalition he belonged to has since been criticized for failing to deliver on their grand Arctic policy statements, although regional northern development has taken priority and Norway maintains that the High North is the ‘number one’ foreign policy priority.
Under the new “blue-blue” coalition government from 2013, a recalibration of Arctic expectations occurred. The new Conservative government that took office in 2013 has arguably changed little, although focus in the north has slightly shifted towards the North-Atlantic and border zone with Russia given events in 2014. The drop in the price of oil and natural gas, combined with the dramatic events in Ukraine in spring 2014, were key reasons.
In terms of security and national defence, the Arctic is not necessarily framed in a security context in Norway. The Arctic has connotations of ice and wilderness, whereas the Norwegian Arctic—at least the part that belongs to the Norwegian mainland—is ice-free and relatively populated. This ties into a general Norwegian perspective that the Arctic entails circumpolar cooperation on softer issues such as environmental challenges, human security affairs, and economic opportunities.
This is in contrast to Norwegian security policy, predominantly focused on the relationship with Russia, which takes place in the Arctic, but is not framed as an Arctic endeavour. As one third of Norway’s territory and 80 percent of its maritime exclusive economic zone are found within the region, the Arctic is not isolated from larger national security and defence policies. Instead, the High North is central to security considerations in Norway.
It is therefore important to distinguish between the Arctic and the “High North.” The latter entails the border with Russia and the security concerns derived from having a resurgent neighbour. In what is generally termed an asymmetric relationship, Norway has endeavoured to balance its military inferiority to Russia through membership of NATO and a bilateral relationship with the United States.
There is, at the same time, a realization that the relationship with Russia needs to be built on pragmatism, as everything from joint fish stocks to border crossings and trade need to be managed between the two states. Norway has taken pride in this bilateral relationship, concentrated around environmental management and people-to-people cooperation on a local and regional level. This has created a situation where, on the one hand, Norway has sought an active presence and engagement from the United States and its European allies, with the aim of deterring Russia. On the other hand, Norway has pursued multilateral cooperation with Russia in both international and regional organisations, ranging from the UN to the Arctic Council to regional cooperation in the Barents area.
Yet, this does not diminish the overarching security concerns related to a resurgent Russia under Vladimir Putin. With a neighbour that increases its military posturing through naval and airborne activity along the Norwegian border, the importance of NATO has by no means diminished for Norway.