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Beyond military: Defining and addressing the transnational security threats in the contemporary Arctic
Summary
This study analyzes the broad spectrum of security challenges facing Arctic states, including both military and non-military threats such as pollution, climate change, and industrial development. Researchers found that persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, microplastics, and nuclear contamination from military activities pose significant transnational risks to the region. The study argues for an expanded security framework that accounts for environmental threats alongside traditional defense concerns in the rapidly changing Arctic.
The Arctic states face a broad spectrum of specific regional security issues centred around two complementary aspects, defending humans from extremes of nature (climate) and protecting the natural environment against damage caused by human activities (pollution). The first group of challenges encompasses extreme weather patterns, melting sea ice and permafrost, and rising sea levels. The second group includes various pollutants, including persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, plastics, a significant military and nuclear presence, industrial development, and shipping. In addition, hybrid threats, illegal activities, and the interests of non-Arctic states represent a new and emerging category of security challenges for the region. Most of these challenges are multiplying threats that do not respect borders or sectoral boundaries and require coordinated transnational action. Given the limited capacity of individual states to address security threats promptly and the trans-national nature of certain issues, regional cooperation is a prerequisite for achieving success. History shows us that during the Cold War, the most politically frozen time of all, the Arctic states, including the United States and the Soviet Union, were able to overcome their animosity and cooperate on environmental challenges. One of the outcomes of this cooperation was the establishment of the Arctic Council in 1996. Is it realistic to expect a similar development today? The Russian invasion of Ukraine has largely ended cooperation between Moscow and other Arctic countries. Can shared security challenges enhance cooperation in the region and beyond? How important are environmental issues for the states? Can Arctic science diplomacy be a useful approach to the improvement of relations? These are some of the research questions that this chapter addresses. The author also investigates mechanisms for cooperation in times of conflict and the role of international scientific cooperation in the Arctic. The chapter concludes with an exploration of possible future scenarios in the region.
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