Cold War legacies in Russia’s Svalbard policy - Environmental and Human Security in the Arctic - page 17

Cold War legacies in Russia's
Svalbard policy

Kristian Åtland and Torbjørn Pedersen

Introduction
In the past two decades, interstate relations in the European Arctic (see
Figure 2.1) have undergone a series of important changes. People-to-people
contacts across Russia's northwestern borders have flourished, regional coop-
eration arrangements have been established and issues such as environmental
protection and nuclear safety have been placed on the agenda of all Arctic
states, including Russia. Notwithstanding, traditional 'hard' security concerns

Greenland
(Denmark)

Franz Josef
Land (Russia)

Svalbard
(Norway)

Novaya
Zemlya

Jan
Mayen

Kara
Sea

Bear
Island

Barents Sea

Iceland

Norwegian
Sea

Faroe
Islands
(Denmark)

Russia

Norway Finland

North
Sea

Sweden

Baltic
Sea

Figure 2.1 The European Arctic