The Arctic region is going through unprecedented changes in its physical, social, geo-economic and geopolitical realities. These rapid changes are having a considerable impact on Arctic security. The various security challenges in the Arctic are often examined in silos, assessing one problem at a time, but the complexity of the risks can best be understood when these challenges are looked at in connection with each other.
This paper aims to examine the complexity of Arctic security and explore the interconnectedness between various aspects of security in the Arctic. It also investigates the challenges in the Arctic that arise from changing geo-political realities. The analysis is based on the discussions at the ‘Geopolitics of a Changing Arctic’ workshop organized by SIPRI, and on select scientific, academic and media materials that complement the workshop discussions.
I. Introduction
II. The complexity of Arctic security
III. Increasing tensions in the Arctic region?
IV. Arctic cooperation in a changing geopolitical climate
V. The way forward