Issue-linkages evolution and consequences on cooperation

Together with IDOS, the Academy organised a workshop with its fellows Cécile Pelaudeix and Christian Bueger on the growing geopolitical tensions in the Arctic and their geostrategic significance for global politics in the 21st century.  On the first panel, moderated by Cécile Pelaudeix, AIA Fellow Christian Bueger began by providing an overview of various discourses and framings regarding how the ocean has been discussed in global politics since the 2000s, whilst also addressing current challenges. Following this, Lise Wiederholt Christensen from the University of Copenhagen identified various patterns of discourse regarding how NATO and the Arctic are addressed.

In doing so, she particularly emphasised the role of the US in the recent past, which acted less as a partner and more as a major power in competition with China and the US. Charlotte Gehrke immediately followed this with her remarks on the role of the Trump administration and introduced its key advisers with regard to the Arctic. Christoph Humrich from the University of Groningen presented the security architecture in the Arctic and pointed out that this is not a coherent system, but that at least six different sub-regions can be distinguished.

The second session, moderated by Charlotte Gehrke, then focused on the importance of critical raw materials. Cécile Pelaudeix provided an overview of critical raw materials and their key role in the green and digital transition. Mariel Kieval from the Arctic Institute in Finland reflected on the green securitisation in Greenland and highlighted the importance of self-determination for the identity of indigenous peoples. Markus Kröger from the University of Helsinki spoke on the legal and political situation in Finland with regard to the Arctic.

Finally, the third panel, moderated by Christian Bueger, focused on local perspectives on security and environmental policy cooperation in the Arctic. Annegret Kuhn from the Center for Ocean and Society reported on her field research in Greenland, whilst Dorothee Wehrmann contributed insights from her long-term research on urban development in the European Arctic. Svenja Holste from Bielefeld University contributed interesting insights from her field research in Canada, and Nadezhda Filimonova from the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland rounded off the panel with a general overview of the literature and current state of research on the topic.